Lions Among Us

According to Mr. Edward Henderson, leaders are those people who can guide a work force into a path that leads to success and realization of goals by keeping the members of his work force committed, intact, and highly motivated. Moreover, managers of private clubs are those who extend their duties and responsibilities beyond the long-established and conventional roles of private club managers. They should be able to influence the members of their work force to create a reality out of their visions of success. Furthermore, Henderson has also presented what he calls â€Å"success factors.† These success factors are supposed to be instrumental in making private club managers successful in their field. This valuable piece of information was based on a survey conducted in 1994, which was administered to several managers. They were the ones who were responsible of narrowing down eight valuable factors that influence success. These success factors were also proven true by Henderson himself, as he has put great efforts to observe his colleagues who were private club managers themselves. In addition to the main success factors that will be discussed in the following statements, people who took the survey also included other factors that are important in success such as a reputable image, flexibility in working with diverse individuals or groups, communication and social skills, just pure luck, exerting effort and working hard, attitude and perspective in life, and continuous learning. Henderson has also noted that there is a strong connection between success factors and the successes of a leader. Although he himself, and all the managers who took the survey, could not argue with the fact that all success factors are significant in accomplishing success in their line of expertise. However still, everything depends on the work attitude and outlook of the manager. In addition, it is dependent on the nature and the background of the business that he is managing. The first success factor mentioned in the monograph is operational knowledge. Operational knowledge received the highest vote as one of the most important success factor. However, overall the most important success factor, it ranked second. It requires knowledge of the ins and outs of business, such as the technical aspect and expertise in handling the club. Expertise and knowledge of the business is achieved over time. Being in the business in such a long period of time is a learning experience for private club managers, especially with their experiences in success and failures in the past. The second success factor is integrity. It was the first most important success factor that was rated by the managers who took the survey. For those managers who took the survey, building a responsible and credible self as a private club manager makes one a true leader. Being aware of one’s strengths and weaknesses, distinguishing right from wrong, expressing appreciation and gratitude to one’s constituents, exuding good morals and virtues, and working for the purpose of serving, are just some of the aspects of integrity that makes it a factor in a leader’s way to success. The third success factor is being in the right club where a manager’s personality is suiting. In other words, private club managers must be able to be in position within a club that is fitting or appropriate for their personality and management styles. They attribute this idea with marriage. For them, being a private club manager is like building a relationship or marrying a person. There should be chemistry or the personality, style, beliefs, and attitudes of a manager must be in sync with the needs and nature of the club to succeed. Just as how two people should be in order to have a successful marriage. The fourth success factor is acquiring financial skills. According to the managers who took the survey, being adept with finance and accounting enabled them to gain respect and trust from their colleagues. Needless to say, the finances of an organization are the indicator of its success or its failure. The fifth success factor is intelligence. The challenges and the demands of the private club industry require broad knowledge and skills in order understand the comings and goings within the club and also to understand human behavior and predict outcomes. According to the managers who took the survey, intelligence coupled with the right experiences and skills acquired equals great leadership and success. The sixth success factor is the ability to persuade others. Persuasion or the skill of one person to influence the behavior of a person is very significant in accomplishing success at present. A great leader must be able to persuade or influence others, his subordinates, colleagues, and everyone who he comes to work with, to lean to the direction of success and accomplish the vision of the club. The seventh success factor is authority. Perhaps authority comes with the previous success factor, which is persuasion. The ability to persuade must be coupled with authority that is in order to persuade people, the leader must exude authority and firmness among them. Although there are several issues raised about authority and its limitations, people cannot argue with the fact that authority is very important in dealing with all aspects of the private club industry. However, with authority comes great responsibility and sound judgment. The eighth success factor is social grace. Although several managers regard as least important in achieving success, they could not also deny the fact that being skilled in communication and interacting with other people is important. After reading all the factors that influence success as a private club manager, I have come to understand the qualities and skills that one should possess in order to be a great leader for the club as a whole and his constituents. Although all the success factors and much more, are instrumental in the achievement of great personal and group success in the field of private club management, I feel that the most important of all is intelligence. First, intelligence gets you to the position of a private club manager. As we all know, being intelligent and knowledgeable about the business makes one a potential and a strong candidate for a private club manager position. It is instrumental in getting one started, and intelligence keeps one going in the business. Moreover, intelligence equips you with the capacity to acquire all the other skills that are important in the business such as financial and social skills, being knowledgeable of the operations and processes that go on within the business, and even in the ability to persuade others, intelligence plays a role. Intelligence is also a major factor that spells out authority. For instance, one becomes granted the opportunity to become a private club manager because of one’s knowledge of the business. Through this, one gains support, respect and trust from colleagues, subordinates, board members, and other people one comes in contact with because of one’s ability to be knowledgeable in all aspects of the business, even for example in finance and accounting. Essentially, it drives one to learn more about the developments and changes in the industry making one capable of dealing with future obstacles and challenges. Therefore, one is able to persuade other people into working together as members of the club in order to attain their goals and objectives. Generally speaking, intelligence does not only get you the job, but it also guides you and lets you experience success and gets you out of failure. It lies in all aspects of the eight success factors that are why it is important.

Living Together Is Not Wrong

Chanut Tipphanawadee 155 100 5877 SECTION 5153 Assignment 2 : ————————————————- There is nothing wrong with people living together before they get married. It seems undeniable that living together of couples and marriage of them are totally different of what they did in past. The amount of divorce rate, abortion rate, abandoned children are unstoppable increase. The reason is people in this era have been changed the concept of marriage and living together. Moreover, the rights of human has affected us. Especially, women in this epoch have more powerful than the past.Therefore, I strongly agree with the statement â€Å"There is nothing wrong with people living together before they get married†. There is more than one reason why living together before get marriage is not wrong and should be accepted by our society. Firstly, the couples that living together before they get married is able to look how life would be like with the person who lives with. For the reason is when two peoples whether men or woman living together the conflicts might be occurred because of the different of each other’s behavior such as spending habits, cleaning ,and time.These are important to the couples getting along in the long terms and they can only be learned by proximity when they live together for a period of time. Furthermore, they have to learn to be more responsible and take care of each other like what marriage couples do. Moreover, we are in the new generation where the society is liberal. So, if they can live together before they get married their marriage and couples’ life are more tend to be perfect marriage . That why there is nothing wrong with living together before marriage.

Bill Recommendation Essay Example for Free

Bill Recommendation Essay Is it a good idea for those individuals convicted of armed robbery to receive double the sentence that it is now? In my opinion the answer is no. Policy making in the field of criminal justice is extremely vital to society. Punishments can be very confusing in the fact of what is appropriate. What is too much and what is too little? There have been many studies that show that there is little or no deterrent of crime such as armed robbery when the punishment is a long sentence to prison. The reason for this lack of deterrent is because the person who is committing the crime or crimes knows what is at stake, yet he or she chooses to commit the robbery anyway. This is because the gains of that robbery outweigh the prison sentence. The main purpose of this bill is to stop or at least lessen the amount of armed robbery that is being committed by putting those who commit the crime behind bars for a longer period of time. This seems like a good idea at first glance. However there is more to this proposition. Lengthening the prison sentence is being used as a deterrent or to simply take the bad guys off the street for longer. This has not worked in the past and will not work now. Facing a long sentence has not deterred robbery from happening. If prison sentencing was enough robbery would not be around in society especially not as frequent as it is today. According to a study done by the FBI in 2006 447,403 robberies were reported to the police, which equals out to a rate of one robbery per minute in the United States (McGoey, 2014). The punishment for robbery can be up to 25 years in the United States. Doubling that and making the sentence 50 years will hardly make any change in the robbery rate. If anything it would just cause the jails and prisons to  become overpopulated quicker, costing taxpayers more money. There are more effective ways to address a crime than make the punishments more intense or longer. The classic school of criminology is what I base my recommendation on. In the late 1700’s, which are the time that the classical school came about, the punishment for crimes was extremely cruel and would be seen today as barbaric. Cesare de Beccaria and Jeremy Bentham played a tremendous role in the theory of criminology and criminal justice today would not be where it is without them. Their main focus was to lessen the harsh punishments implemented by the judicial system at the time (Schmalleger, 2012). Cesare de Baccaria believed that preventing crimes would benefit a society more than punishing someone who committed a crime. This belief was the driving force of the classic school of criminology. He believed the punishment should fit the crime for instance theft should be punished through the use of fines and crimes that cause personal injury to be punished by corporal punishment. This would, in turn he believed, prevent these crimes from happening. Jeremy Bentham viewed crime a little differently than Beccaria. Bentham was viewed as a utilitarian. He believed that the punishment for any crime must be that of the greater good for the community. Basically stating that any pain being used as a punishment towards an offender must be justified to benefit the good of the society. Modern criminal justice still holds its foundation in that of the classic school of criminology. Having said that, long prison sentences do act as a major deterrent for many criminals, but poses a major conflict of ideas to that of the classic school of thought due to the fact that crimes are committed based on free will and rational thinking. many factors such as emotional instability in s sudden moment, and mental and physical disorders that a longer prison sentence simply would not abolish. There is also the very likely chance that drugs and or alcohol is involved.  If the offender is being driven by an addiction nothing, surely not a longer prison sentence is going to persuade his or her decision (Schmalleger, 2012) With all of that being said, the answer to decreasing crime, more specifically armed robbery, a longer prison sentence is not the answer. The question at hand is: what is the answer? This is a question that is going to be debated as long as crime is resent in the population. Juvenile criminals usually mature into adult criminals, so perhaps putting more criminal emphasis on juvenile crime must be done. In addition to everything, it is well known that drugs are the foundation of many crimes. Drugs are responsible for many thefts and robberies, and more time behind bars is not going to make a drug addict think twice before robbing someone. More emphasis needs to be put on the war on drugs and alcohol addiction. Put the taxpayers money to good use by stopping the spread of drugs, not on paying for more people inside if jails. Lets stop the robberies from happening. McGoey, C.E. (2014). Robbery Facts: Violent Crime Against Persons.

International Business Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

International Business Management - Essay Example The resources that the investor would like to control most are trademarks, patents and management know how that can be used to determine the competitiveness position of the initial holder (Schutter et al., 2013, p. 81). FDI can be horizontal or vertical. Horizontal FDI occurs when a company invests in the same trade as it has been dealing with at home (Chen, 2000, pp. 91–95). Vertical FDI has two forms, that is, forward and backward FDI. Forward vertical FDI occurs when a company invests in amenities that will devour the output of the original firm in the home country. The backward vertical FDI takes place where a firm invests in the facilities that provide raw materials or inputs to the home country (Schutter et al., 2013, p. 82). Coca cola has become the largest soft drink firm globally since it was formulated 140 years ago in Georgia United States. Currently, the company has its product in more than 200 countries worldwide serving more than 16 million people. The process of Coca Cola company investment in China started in 1979 after China and United States restored their diplomatic relations. The first Coca cola manufacturing factory was launched in 1981 in Beijing. The process of decision making consists of different stages and decision making along the way. The foremost phase of the process is the consideration for exportation possibility, in which the Coca Cola company managers determined if they can export their product to China. To make this decision the company considers transportation costs and the importation barrier. In case the transportation costs and importation barriers are too high, the Coca Cola Company discards the idea for exporting their product to China. In this notion it is impossible for the Coca Cola Company to export their soft drinks all the way to China, therefore, a different approach is used. The Company may think of joint venture alliances in the China market by

Still Alice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Still Alice - Essay Example Thus, one of the first scenes shows the main character giving a lecture about her work. This is clearly a big honor for everyone who is present. However, during the lecture, Alice (Julianne Moore) forgets a word. This is rather surprising for such a smart woman as she. So, to win some time she jokes about having an extra glass of champagne. However, even after several seconds she can not remember the necessary word; so, she uses a synonym: the word she forgot was lexicon and she said word stock. This is quite an important scene as it shows that Alice is still able to use the majority of her mental resources and can fight the early symptoms. Several times during the movie Alice is seen playing a mobile application that is called Words with friends. This element serves several significant functions. First of all, it situates Alice in the environment of ‘normal’ people who are able to use their brain to its fullest to play abstract games. Later in the movie she tells her daughter that she has developed an obsession with this game. One might see a considerable amount of irony here since as her disease progresses, she will no longer be able to carry on what she liked a lot. In other words, other people who did not use their brain so much should not feel such a tragedy in the disease that she was diagnosed with. Finally, this very game might also be seen as a measurement of her mental potential. Thus, in the very beginning of the movie Alice is seen forming a word Hadj (Islamic ritual pilgrimage). There is no doubt that few people who are not Muslims know this word. This shows that Alice is quite intelligent. Ho wever, at the end of the film the best word she is able to come up with in the game is tone. This might be regarded as a clear sign of her mental degradation. During the first interview of neurologist, the latter asks Alice about her family. She reveals that her

Analysis of Information Asymmetry Literature review

Analysis of Information Asymmetry - Literature review Example Owners of the corporations called shareholders, therefore, remain separate from the active management of the organization and managers manage the organization as custodian of the shareholders. However, this creates an issue of agency wherein though managers act as the agents of shareholders, they pursue their own interests. (Sau,2003) The actions of managers, therefore, are assumed to be in direct conflict with the interests of the shareholders. One of the key reasons for this conflict of interest is the availability of and access to information. Since managers are actively involved in the management of any firm, therefore, they possess relatively superior information as compared to outsiders. This, however, can also create corporate failures as shareholders may not be fully aware of the actions of the managers. One way through which both financial and non-financial disclosures can be improved is the effective regulations to make things more transparent. ( Baek, Kim, & Kim, 2008) Inf ormation asymmetry As discussed above, information asymmetry arises when one party to the transaction has superior or more information as compared to other parties to the transaction.  Ã‚   In adverse selection models, it is assumed that one party lacks the understanding and information about a transaction whereas, in moral hazards model, the ignorant party lacks the information about the performance of a transaction. (Chen, Berger, & Li, 2006). Moral Hazards and Agency Problems Information asymmetry becomes important within organizational context due to the agent-principal relationship between the shareholders and managers of the firm. One of the key reasons as to why moral hazards can arise is based upon the notion that if all the actions of employees are not monitored, there are chances that moral hazards may arise. This peculiar situation, therefore, outlines that shareholders may inherently be in a disadvantageous position because of their inability to monitor the actions of managers in an effective and comprehensive manner. (Heath, and Norman, 2004)  Ã‚  

BORDER SURVEILLANCE USING WIRELESS SENSOR NETWORK Research Paper

BORDER SURVEILLANCE USING WIRELESS SENSOR NETWORK - Research Paper Example The troops guard the border according to prearranged route as well as the time interval (Ammari 12). Border patrol has widely depended on human participation. On the other hand, the relative cost for the growing number of workers as well as the retreating precision through human-only supervision has called for the contribution of high-tech devices in border patrol (Ammari 36). Amongst these, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) for mid-air surveillance have lately been used to track routinely and detect track unlawful border crossing. Due to the outsized coverage as well as high mobility of the UAVs, the concentrated human participation in low-level surveillance practices can be minimized. In applications of border patrol, the established supervising network ought to cover a considerably large monitoring region. On the other hand, the radius of sensing of a single sensor node is usually limited. Consequently, many sensor nodes are expected to complete the coverage need. In addition, different kinds of sensor nodes like underground, camera, ground, and mobile sensors provide dissimilar coverage potentials. In addition, every sensor type has a special cost, sensing radius, as well as sensing accuracy (Aykanat54). As a result, a most favorable deployment approach is required to settle on the number along with locations of sensor nodes with varied capabilities. The primary objective of the deployment is to get the deployment tactic using the bare minimum number of each category of sensors to cover the entire surveillance area furthermore to accomplish desired intrusion detection likelihood. The aim is sensing the surroundings as well as communicating the findings to the data gathering center (Aykanat54). Most employment areas are envisaged for WSNs ranging from military surveillance to the monitoring of endangered species of animal populations. The research on the node placement together with coverage issues deals with effective use of

Basic economics Assignment microeconomics Essay

Basic economics Assignment microeconomics - Essay Example a. Price Elasticity of Demand 9 4. b. Short-Run and Long-Run Price Elasticity 12 4. c. Price Elasticity of Demand for a Particular Brand 13 4. d. If Price Elasticity of Demand for Cigarettes Is Inelastic 13 References 14 Bibliography 15 1. a. Impact on ‘Law of Demand’ when there is no Scarcity of Resources According to a theory of ‘Law of demand’, an inverse relationship exists between quantity demanded by customers and price of products and/or services. If there is no scarcity of resources in a given market, the price of a commodity may fall rapidly which in turn will provide rise to demand of the commodity. As stated in the theory, a decrease in price of a commodity increases its demand in market. Moreover, in economic perspective, human nature is termed to be always demanding which depicts that demand of commodity will continue to rise and thereby affecting its price at large. Therefore, it can be stated that whether there is a scarcity of resources or no t, the ‘Law of Demand’ will still exist (Baumol & Blinder, 2009). Consequently, price rationing can also be observed in this case due to a fact that demands of human-beings are termed to be never-ending or unlimited. However, on the contrary, resources of goods are limited. Thus, price rationing will be strongly evident (Maddala, 2004). Conclusively, from an economic point of view, it can be stated that resources will be efficiently used when there is no scarcity. ... efects of a Market System In the study of microeconomics, three fundamental problems faced by any society are: What goods and/or services can be produced in a given society and what will be an appropriate quantity of production? How to produce the required goods and/or services? The produced goods and/or services will be targeted to which market segment or customers? (Gabay & Et. Al., 2007). On the similar context, price mechanism is referred to as determining prices of goods and/or services with the influence of various forces of demand and supply in a given society. The theory assumes to have no interference in terms of external factors to the society. According to a theory of economics, producers always tend to produce those commodities which can be sold in market at a high price and apply those production techniques which are cost-efficient in order to maximise their profits. Similarly, customers tend to favour products which are less costly and thus it determines the price of th e commodity in a given market. Thus, price mechanism states an interdependent relationship between self-interests of producers and buyers. In other words, actions of producers are regulated by actions of consumers and vice-versa. This efficiently determines quantity of production and price of a commodity, solving the three fundamental problems of a society (Jain & Khanna, 2007). However, there are a few defects that exist in a market which provides rise to various limitations of price mechanism theory. They can be identified as, market competencies, inefficient or wasteful productions, external influences, indolence of commodities, uneven circulation of income and others (Jain & Khanna, 2007). 2. a. Reasoning The aspect of ‘opportunity cost’ can be well identified in this case. It is

The current state of HRM In Saudi Arabia.The impacts of motivation on Research Proposal

The current state of HRM In Saudi Arabia.The impacts of motivation on workers and staff, which encourage employees to work In Saudi private sector - Research Proposal Example The current state of HRM in Saudi Arabia is characterized by a number of features. HRM covers all organizational levels and functions, and has already become a definitive ingredient of the process of management within organizations (Randhawa 2009). HRM is inherently people-oriented, which means that human resource managers are concerned with employees as members of a separate organizational group and as individuals (Randhawa 2009). Finally, HRM is equally pervasive, challenging, and essential for the future of organizations (Randhawa 2009). The complexity of HRM issues is difficult to underestimate, and the current research holds a promise to clarify these issues and support the development of efficient HRM strategies and solutions. The current research into HRM is associated with numerous limitations. More often than not, scholarly research defines HRM too narrowly, leaving numerous issues beyond the boundaries of learning (Lewin, Mitchell & Sherer 2008). This is one of the reasons why the given study will explore â€Å"The impacts of motivation on workers and staff, which encourage employees to work in Saudi private sector†. The proposed research will aim at clarifying the factors that motivate workers in Saudi Arabia to work in the private sector. The proposed research will aim at clarifying the factors that motivate workers in Saudi Arabia to work in the private sector. The researcher expects that the proposed study will help private sector enterprises in Saudi Arabia to develop effective HR strategies and attract prospective workforce, which will help organizations to improve their performance and strengthen their competitive position. 2.2. Will your research be industry-based? - Industry-based approach: the proposed research will utilize the benefits of industry-based approach. The petrochemical industry in Saudi Arabia will serve the principal object of analysis. The choice of the petrochemical industry is proved by the fact that (1) it is one of the most important industrial sectors in Saudi Arabia and (2) it combines the features of public and private ownership. For example, 70% of SABIC is being currently owned by the government, with the remaining 30% distributed among private owners (SABIC 2011). As a result, the petrochemical industry exemplifies one of the most attractive objects of organizational analysis in the context of motivation and its implications for the Saudi workforce. - The organization to consider: SABIC will serve the central object of the analysis for the proposed research. The choice of SABIC is not accidental. First, SABIC is the largest non-oil company in the Middle Eastern region and is included in the list of the top five manufacturers of petrochemical products in the world (SABIC, 2011). The size of the company and its profitability provide a wealth of opportunities for researching its workforce and motivation issues in the workplace. Second, SABIC considers itself as a company, which invests heav ily in the development of sophisticated training and development strategies for its employees. According to SABIC (2011), the company is dedicated to its people, enjoys detecting and developing talents, whereas its HR department has recently undergone a serious change. Thus, the company seems to possess vast training and development potential. Ultimately, little is known of what attracts individuals in Saudi Arabia to work in private sector companies. Moreover, the body of research concerning motivation in Saudi companies and private sector organizations is increasingly scarce (Al-Eisa, Furayyan, & Alhmeoud 2009). The researcher expects that the proposed study will add to the existing

Principles of Information Systems in Business and Organizations Essay

Principles of Information Systems in Business and Organizations - Essay Example Using this Zoho writer one can publish items directly to a blog and can save and import a range of text document formats, from Microsoft Word to HTML. One can import a document from one's computer or from any other web-page. But it raises a question, why should one import a file rather than accessing it on his own computer! There is no need to register in this website. One can easily access this website from anywhere by using his/her google e-mail id. The other main disadvantage noticed here is that, not two or more applications are made available in one page. In comparison, Google Docs (http://docs.google.com/), a well designed online application that helps user to prepare a Document, Spreadsheet, Presentation and Form. Also, the work done can be shared by others to get online reviews. The application is found to be highly professional with all the basic tools and functionalities available in a stand-alone word processing application. Also, as four applications are made available in one browser page, people tend to use google docs than any other application. The main features of this application is one can allow the list of persons who can access their documents.

The impact of New tech used in WWII Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The impact of New tech used in WWII - Essay Example Six days later, on May 20, the German forces reached the coast, ultimately cutting off the BEF along with a huge number of Allied troops. Knowing this, the Germans headed north to capture the Channel’s ports before the Allies could effectively evacuate. On May 24, Hitler strongly urged General von Rundstedt to continue on with the attack. Von Rundstedt held his army west and south of Dunkirk, using his infantry group to finish the BEF. This attack was assisted by intense support from the Luftwaffe, and the next day, General Lord Gort, the commander of the BEF decided to evacuate his troops from northern France. Given the designation ‘Operation Dynamo’, this evacuation began in the perimeter around the port at Dunkirk. Agreed upon by Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Vice President Admiral Bertram Ramsay, they planned the evacuation effort. With strong urging from Ramsay, Operation Dynamo was to be implemented by a fleet of naval destroyers, merchant ships and s ome 700 other ships, which consisted of yachts, lifeboats, fishing vessels, anything that floated on water. Admiral Ramsay asked the public sector to help out in this rescue, and he was not disappointed. In many cases, civilians risked life and limb to cross the Channel and rescue troops. The original idea was for 45,000 men to be rescued in a two day span, because they already anticipated German advances would end the rescue operation. They abandoned nearly all of their heavy artillery, but over the course of those first two days over 25,000 men were rescued. The Royal Air Force did their best to keep the German’s Luftwaffe away from the Channel, which definitely helped. Operation Dynamo rescued over 332,000 men from Dunkirk, even in spite of a Luftwaffe attack during the evacuation process. Although the media played this out to be a â€Å"miracle of deliverance†, as Churchill referred to it, it is important to note that there were over 400 Luftwaffe pilots dropping b ombs at Dunkirk and causing heavy casualties. Although 332,000 men were saved, thousands lost their lives at the Battle of Dunkirk. In the Battle of Dunkirk, the hypothesis given can and does ring true in some instances. It is true that the Germans used new technology, in the form of their Panzers and the Luftwaffe, to gain control at Dunkirk. However, the Germans also used the aspect of attrition to their advantage, because they knew that they outnumbered the British troops, as well as were able to take full advantage of the lackadaisical feeling that had overcome the British troops over the months of phony war. Continuing in the theater of the given hypothesis, improved old technologies did become decisive for the British and French troops. The old technology was simple: call upon your fellow man, and he will answer your call. If it weren’t for Ramsay making that call to the British people to help in the rescue effort, chances are very good that they would not have rescued the numbers of men that they did. Using fishing boats and yachts for rescue, although that is not what they were built for, they answered the call anyway. The Battle of Dunkirk would likely not have been called a â€Å"miracle†, as many more men would have died. Another viable circumstance is that Hitler ordered his Panzers to stop, and leave Dunkirk to the Luftwaffe. This may have been a mistake on Hitler’s part, but it is a mistake the ended up saving thousands of lives. So, although it is slight, the

Propaganda and women during Essay Example for Free

Propaganda and women during Essay Propaganda was used in World War One to make sure that people only knew what the Government wanted them to. To make sure everyone thought the same way as the government all information was controlled. Newspapers were expected to print what the government wanted and the newspapers started using emotional headlines, even if they weren’t true. Some examples of these headlines are: -â€Å"Belgium child’s hands cut off by Germans† -â€Å"Germans crucify Canadian officer† Anyone caught spreading the truth would be arrested. Propaganda aimed at Women While the men were fighting it was left to the women to do the men’s jobs and treat injured soldiers. To get the women to do this propaganda was used. The Red Cross used pride in this poster to try and get women to join. Propaganda aimed at Men This poster uses pride to try and get the men to join the army, this poster is showing a man’s children asking him what he did in the war. The government are trying to say that if you fight in the war your family would be proud of you. Untrue stories â€Å"Monks in Antwerp were being forced to ring bells to celebrate the Germans invading the city. The monks refused to do this so were tied to the clappers of the bells and being used as human clappers which killed them.† This was untrue but a brilliant way for the British government to make people hate the Germans even more. German Newspaper headlines -English soldiers put plague germs in German wells. -German prisoners blinded by their Allied Captors. Women during WW1 While the men were fighting someone had to do their jobs so this usually fell to the women. Some of the jobs they were given were; nurses, working in munitions factories (which often turned their hair and skin yellow due to the chemicals), in public transport, as police women, ambulance drivers, fire fighters, in post offices, making weapons and farming. Towards the end of the war some women were being recruited into the army as cooks, clerks and electricians so that all the men could fight. Most women would still have to do the cooking, cleaning and other household chores as well as their day jobs. The women also knitted scarves, hats and gloves to send to the soldiers. This is not often recognised and they didn’t always get there but if they did the soldiers were grateful. The Womens Land Army In WW1 the German navy stopped food being imported to England and this made up 50% of the food eaten in England. In 1917 the harvest failed and there were not many reserves. Rations were put in place and the British made do. There was also a shortage of farm labourers as most men were out fighting. The government set up the land army which allowed women to become farm labourers which would not have been allowed before. By 1918 there were 23,000 Land girls that would milk the cattle, plough the fields and herd the cattle. The Land army stopped in 1919 as the men returned home and food was able to imported again.

The effect of Facebook on student performace

The effect of Facebook on student performace Facebook is a social networking site and website launched in February 2004 and was founded by Mark Zuckerberg. The popularity of online social network is growing at a rapid rate, such as Facebook. By end of 2008, Facebook became the most popular social network with 140 million active users Rayport, (2009). Today students use Facebook, because it is the other way to communicate with friends and family all over the world other than Twitter, my space and other social networks. Facebook offers many different options for social networking and entertainment, whereas it is free and the cheapest way to communicate with others. As far as communication goes, Facebook offers a chat option in which students can send messages instantly to one another regarding their work. They can also talk to numerous people at the same time. It is another way of communicating is using a private message option to write messages to another person. Facebook also offers the option to write on another persons profile where other people may view the message. However, these are not the only things can be found in Facebook. There are many applications and games can also be found on this site. There are ways to post items in other peoples profiles. A person can play interactive games that involve playing with other people on the site. Whereas, there are many choices of games and applications that people can choose. Examples of the games are Farmville, Pet Society, Poker, Sims and many more. These games can be interacted with friends and family. Games that this website provides continue to grow and in turn it continues to keep people intrigued and keeps them coming back. Facebook has become common among college students, Facebook games and applications and are one of the reason students are on Facebook. They spend many hours on games and applications till late at night, rather than studying or revising. This could affect the students marks and concentration during class. This is mainly because Facebook entertains them with variety of games and applications. Another reason could be because students too stress while studying, they need break, one of the option they log on to Facebook, on their phones, tabs, personal computer or laptops. When it is time to get back to their books, they spent more time on Facebook, and time just passes away without them knowing. This shows students can spend more time on Facebook rather than studying. The applications that most students spent their time on Facebook, that are uploading photos, posting links on their wall and also sending links on their wall friends wall. Whereas famous games on Facebook such as Pet Society, Texas Holdem Poker, The Sims Social and Farmville. Pet Society allows users to raise their pet in a self-decorated pet house. Users are able to play games, bring their pet to play with neighbours, as well as having the responsibility to feed their pets on time and clean them every day. Whereas, Texas Hold ´em Poker is a casino game that allows users to play poker as in real casinos, but with in-game currency. The game is nearly identical to other real cash poker games, fold, having a standard interface of check, and raise, and can sit down at any seat at the table. The game Sims Social is a unique computer game that allows players to create and control their own virtual household of people, known as Sims. Players control everything from their Sims career choic es to their eating habits, dreams, relationships, Thaddeus (2006). Farmville is an aspect of farm management such as growing and harvesting crops, planting, ploughing land, and harvesting trees and bushes, and generally run a basic farm. Some exploratory studies by Canales et al, (2009); Karpinski Duberstein, (2009) shown that the extended presence of students on Facebook has harmful effect on their task performance. While Facebook games are often said to be developed for people to spend their leisure time, it is proven that the games are addictive, causing people to spend a lot of time visiting the games. These two studies demonstrated that long hours spent on Facebook seem to decrease students academic performance and thus, their achievement grades. Students spend an average of 30 to 35 minutes a day surfing Facebook from The Learning Network blog, Schulten (2009). Many college students note that they actually spend only 3 to 4 minutes during each visit to check updates, making several visit a day; other spend up to 8 hours a day on the website. Students also acknowledge that they find the website totally distracting and the time consuming, but they also noted that they cannot quit visiting the website because they like it and can use it to keep in contact with all their family and friends, whether they meet them every day or not (Facebook, 2010). Some students are likely to spend more time than others on Facebook; they would be more immersed in related tasked as they spend long hours surfing on the websites thereby promoting their distraction from any tasks as they spend long hours surfing the website, thus promoting their distraction from any tasks performed in parallel. For example, users become interested in sharing information with friends and participating in discussion as well as uploading or watching videos and pictures. Students and other active user engage in long discussions about daily issues, checking their Facebook profiles from homes and from their cell phones. Students also check updates while preparing their assignments, which interferes with their assignments preparation. They are distracted from main occupation and their working memory load allocated to these tasks makes it difficult for them to focused and prepare their homework effectively. This would lead to instable results and likely decreased in their global achievement due to participation with Facebook. There have been many studies about using Facebook as a learning tool. One study showed that most students joined Facebook because Facebook was associated with university-level education by Madge et. al., (2009). This same study also found that Facebook is mainly used to keep up with social aspects of college life and it is a part of most students daily routine by Madge, et. al., (2009). However, students also did not seem to agree that Facebook helped their academic life cited by Madge et. al., (2009). Other studies have found that when students are asked why they did not put more effort into schoolwork that Facebook distraction was a regular explanation. Therefore, it is obvious that Facebook has become a very important feature of college life. There were no differences in Facebook use between different members of racial and ethnic groups that were part of the study, or between women and men. Younger and full-time students were more likely to be Facebook users. This study is to find out, does the time spent on games and application on Facebook affect the academic performance of students in SEGi University, Kota Damansara. Therefore the purpose of this study is to know whether Facebook games and application affects the grade point average (GPA) of students and the amount of time spent on Facebook games and application affects their studies. Grade point average (GPA) is a commonly used indicator of academic performance. Thus, the relationship among time spent on Facebook games and application and academic performance will be surveyed. In present study, Mass Communication students have been selected to conduct this study in SEGi University, Kota Damansara. The Facebook games that will be focusing on are Farmville, Pet Society, The Sims Social and Poker. While, Facebook application are pictures and videos that students spent time posting. 1.1.2 Statement of the research problem The main problem which is being addressed in this research is, how far does the time spent on games and applications on Facebook affect the academic performance of college students? The fact that excessive gaming will lead to a fall in academic performance is being illustrated on a report by Vivek Anand, (2007). It mentions that time management is the cause of the negative correlation of time spent on gaming and students academic performance. This also applies on Facebook gaming as they have the same nature and interrupts students time management in the same way. Many students in University already have laptops, smartphones; that supports the gaming in Facebook and tabs will bring it to the University. Therefore when they get notifications on their electronic devices, they will concentrate more on Facebook rather than the lecturer. Due to the lack of concentration towards the subject, students will tend to play games, chat with friends, post pictures and many more activities that capture their attention. This is not the fault of the lecturer, when students do not do well in their exams, is because they did not want to focus during the lecture. Karpinski focused on the relationship between time spent on Facebook and the academic performance of students San Miguel, (2009). He added the overall finding indicated more time on Facebook equals slightly lower grades. In Karpinskis study the regular Facebook user had a GPA of 3.0 to 3.5, while the rare Facebook user had a GPA of 3.5-4.0. Also, the regular Facebook user studied for 1-5 hours per week, while the rare Facebook user would student 11-15 hours per week. Many researchers are aware that Facebook is not the only thing that could possibly be taking away study time. However, 55 percent of those surveyed access their pages several times a day or at least once a day for a long period of time stated by San Miguel, (2009). 1.1.3 Research questions To find out does time spent on Facebook games affect academic performance? To find out does time spent on Facebook application affect academic performance? 1.1.4 Research objectives To determine the relationship between games and applications on Facebook and time spent. To find out the relationship between time spent and academic performance. 1.1.5 Significance of the study The effect of this study is to know whether Facebook games and applications affect students academic performance. This study is to find out does time spent on Facebook games and applications affect students grades. In this present study to find out does Facebook games and applications affect students academic performance, then hours students spent on Facebook games and applications affect their grades. In this study student agrees that the more time spent on Facebook games affect their academic performance, they spent hours on games rather than studying. Whereas Facebook application consume time and it does not affect their academic performance. This study will be beneficial to SEGi University students who want to know the factor, does the time spent on Facebook games and applications lower their academic performance, and does it affect their GPA. Therefore, the study is significant in this regard. It attempts to combine Facebook games and applications and the time consume does it affect the grades and academic performance. It will provide valuable information about Facebook games, applications, time spent, and academic performance. In this study will be shown the results of students when Facebook excessively. It also will serve as resource materials for others who want to carry out research in related field. 1.1.6 Scope/Limitation of the study A limitation of this project that is the participants are sampled from only one University, focusing at SEGi University on Mass Communication students, Kota Damansara. Therefore, the findings cannot be generalized to all colleges and universities. The researcher chooses the institution because of size, familiarity, cost-effectiveness, and diversity of students. Another limitation this study is that, the researcher cannot control whether the participants fill out the survey correctly and accurately. Nor can the researcher make the participants be truthful with their responses. Students may also underestimate or overestimate the time they spent on the activities listed on the survey. Students might also have trouble of distinguishing between being logged on and actively using their Facebook site. In addition, students may also under-report or over-report their GPA score. It attempts to combine Facebook application and games and the time consume does it affect the grades. The major limitation of this study is that it is cross-sectional and correlational in nature, and therefore it is impossible to determine the causal mechanisms between Facebook academic performance and time spent. While the data show that engagement and Facebook use are related, the direction of the effect is dif ¬Ã‚ cult to determine. For instance, students who spend more time on Facebook games and application also score higher on the engagement scale and also the grades are higher however it could be that students who are more engaged to begin with spend more time on Facebook games and application. It will provide valuable information about Facebook, does it affect the students grades and to manage their time. It also will serve as resource materials for others who want to carry out research in related field. CHAPTER II LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Background of the literature The present study conducted a comprehensive examination of the pertinent literature to understand better on the time spent on games and application on Facebook and how it affects academic performance. This chapter is organized into two main categories of research literature that shape the problem. The first section focuses on the definition and historical context games and applications on Facebook. The second section focuses on the time spent on academic performance and the students GPA on University students. The literature review revealed significant information about Facebook, games and application on Facebook, the time spent on the games and application, academic performance, and students grades. 2.2 Facebook Games and Application Facebook games are originated from the development of Facebook Platform, which allow 3rd party developers to develop applications that can be deeply integrated into Facebook, and have mass distribution through the social graph. Facebook Platform has proven to be extremely popular immediately after its launch. According to Facebook Platform Statistics, (2010). More than 70% of Facebook users engage with Platform applications, and there are 550,000 active applications currently on Facebook Platform. Considering there are more than 500 million active Facebook users worldwide, the number of people engaged in the platform is huge. The applications on Facebook Platform often incorporate Flash technologies to enhance interaction with users, which quickly develop into the form of games. Facebook is one of the social network, students spend most of the time because of the application that have many choices for them to check, view and post. As mention by Block, (2010). Games are often said to be developed for people to spend their leisure time, it is proven that games are fairly addictive, causing people to spend a lot of time visiting the games. Games such as Pet Society are developed by Playfish in the year 2007. Pet Society is a pet raising game that allows users to raise their pet in a self-decorated pet house. Users are able to play games, bring their pet to play with neighbours, as well as having the responsibility to feed their pets on time and clean them every day, Block (2010). It functions are to design their pets by choosing genders, names, colours, and physical appearance features. There are a variety of activities with which the user can interact with the pet, including washing, brushing, petting and feeding the pet. There are also activities whereby pets can interact with the pets of those in the friends network. A pet can visit the pets of their friends and perform the same activities to these pets, such as washing, grooming, feeding and many more. A pet can visit other pets as many times per day as it is inclined. Pets will receive coins on the first visit to each friend of the day and Paw Points on this and each subsequent visit. Ways to earn coins in Pet Society include the Daily Lottery, visiting friends, and winning awards, cleaning or playing with pets, winning hurdle races or betting on the outcome of hurdle races. By earning a certain number of paw points makes the pet level up. Students will spend most of their time visiting their friends pets and also to make sure they play till the next level. This causes them to spend a lot of time visiting the g ame. Next game would be, Farmville. This is an application where you can create and manage your own virtual farm. Buying animals and regularly growing and tending to crops is daily routine for those addicted to Farmville and once you have gathered enough money, you can spend it on farm extensions and other big items that allow you to make your farm that extra little bit more personal. After few hours you have to come back to harvest the crop, if not your crop will die and for this time are wasted. Students spend more of their time waiting for their crops to harvest and because of that they will be thinking of the game rather than focusing on the book. Another game that students would be addicted is The Sims Social is a Facebook videogames developed by Playfish. It lets the user to create their own customizable character. In this version, the player uses their character to interact with those of their Facebook friends. The character can develop like or dislike for other Sims, creating relationship that can publicized on the users Facebook page. In this game Sims are able to develop skills, such as art, cooking, music, writing, athletic, driving, and various project skill items which are tied with specific themed collections. The Sims Social is also able to select their careers and traits. It also has needs such as social, fun, hunger, hygiene, bladder, and sleep. The Sims cannot die, therefore all mood meters cycle from deep green (good) to lighter green, yellow, orange, red, and finally gray. The Sims Social uses the socializing features of Facebook to allow players to send and receive gifts in order to finish certain quests or ob jects. For example, when a Sims levels up to a skill, they must have certain items to unlock the next level. Most of these items are obtained by sending requests to other friends or by interacting with friends Sims. Lastly is Texas Holdem Poker. It is developed by Zynga in the year of 2007, Block (2010). According to Texas Holdem is a poker variation of seven card stud poker where poker players share common cards called the board. Due to the fact that the starting two card poker hand is comprised entirely of face-down poker cards, the obligation to open the betting is rotated clockwise after each poker hand. This is accomplished with the use of a dealer button and blinds. A dealer button is a round disk with the word dealer written on it. Blinds are mandatory bets made by the first two players clockwise from the dealer button. The blinds posted in all limit games are in the amounts of 1/2 of the lower limit for the first player (small blind) and the lower limit for the second player (big blind). The blinds in a $10-$20 game would, therefore, be $5 and $10. Poker is a type of card game in which poker players bet on the value of the poker card combination (hand) in their possession, by placing a b et into a central poker game pot. The poker winner is the one who holds the poker hand with the highest value according to an established poker rankings hierarchy, or otherwise the poker player who remains in the poker hand after all others have folded. Students are addicted to this game because they want to raise the amount of money, called chips. They can play and bet with their friends. If one of them loses the game, they will play even more and this consumes time. Students are able to compete and interact with your their friends that they really know who they are in the Facebook Platform. Every time one log onto the game, they can see the progress of their friends in the game fairly easily. People can keep in touch with friends with minimal time and financial costs, which is an important factor of game addiction. Their friends that are playing the game are automatically added to the player list of them, bringing much convenience. This will encourage people to keep on playing the games, and invite more people to join the community. This we can see that, students will spend more time playing games, because they have to pass to the new level and beat their friends. 2.3 Facebook and Academic Performance Over the past few years, the use of social software tools like Friendster, MySpace, and Facebook has been increasing. Facebook, in particular, has become hugely popular among college and university students since its inception in 2004. While participation in sites like Facebook raises some concerns about privacy, there are potential benefits from participation, such as meeting new people through the site, or learning more about people in ones offline community. A lot of students prefer to use Facebook, because it offers multiple functions. For example they are able to post link with picture, therefore people spend most time on Facebook just by reading those links, going through the pictures and also chatting with friends and commenting on it. According to Hargittai,( 2008); Jones Fox,( 2009); Matney Borland, (2009). Facebook has become, the most popular social media website for college, and research shows that anywhere between 85 and 99 percent of college students use Facebook. Whereas, there are few researcher, Cooper Weaver, (2003); DiMaggio, Hargittai, Celeste, Shafer, (2004); Hargittai, (2008); Junco, Merson, Salter, (2010); Kaiser Family Foundation, (2004) agreed that Facebook has become the use of social media in the world. There are persistent differences along gender, socioeconomic, and racial lines in technology adoption and the usage, often referred to as the digital divide. Further, Subrahmanyam, Smahel, Greenfield, (2006); Valkenburg Peter, (2007); Wolak, Mitchell, Finkelhor, (2003) shows that adolescents consider the Internet a highly important medium in their everyday social life and use it to form and maintain social relationships. In this survey we can say that students use Facebook to interact with their family and friends, to keep in touch and to maintain their friendship and relationship between each other. A researcher in the education department at Ohio State University, Aryn Karpinski (2009), stated that students who spending much time on Facebook regularly surf Facebook does not do well in their academic performance. The American research found that Facebook rituals, including adding many friends, adding applications, poking other users and joining groups, can swallow up hours of study time. Some students were spending as little as an hour a week on academic work as they were too busy surfing Facebook. This study shows people who spend more time on Facebook spend less time studying. Kubey, Lavin, and Barrows (2001) found that students who spent five times more hours online reported schoolwork problems. Ten to fifteen per cent of the student participants felt their Internet visits were out of control. Although this study did not mention Facebook specifically, the researchers did mention that the captive social opportunities of the Internet appeared to be the culprit of the schoolwork problems (Kubey et. al, 2001). In addition, Vanden Boogart (2006) discovered that excessive 35 Facebook use was found among students with lower GPAs. Conversely, Pasek, More, Hargittai (2009) and Kolek and Saunders (2008) found no correlation between Facebook use and GPA in their studies. Bauerlein (2008) claimed that social networking sites (i.e. Facebook) raise vocabulary problems, which can lead to weaker reading and writing skills. Students who write and read messages on social network sites often use new lingo (i.e. short-hand versions of words), incomplete sentences, misspelled words, and incorrect grammar. Online social network etiquette allows for students to write poorly because it is a very lax environment for writing and sending messages. Unfortunately, when students consistently practice poor writing skills when participating in online activities, they start to develop bad writing habits that could also hinder their academic performance. Some exploratory studies by Canales et al, (2009); Karpinski Duberstein, (2009) have shown that the extended presence of students on Facebook has harmful effect on their task performance. These two studies revealed that long hours spent on Facebook seem to decrease students academic performance and thus, their achievement grades. Students spend an average of 30 to 35 minutes a day surfing Facebook from The Learning Network blog, Schulten (2009). Many students noted that they actually spend only 3 to 4 minutes during each visit to check updates, making several visit a day; other spend up to 8 hours a day on the website. From this study we will know that students prefer using Facebook rather than studying and they prefer spending time on Facebook. Students who are logged on to Facebook while studying get significantly lower grades than those who did not use Facebook, according to psychologists. A study has found that the exam results of those who used the social networking site while homework, were 20 percent lower than rare users. According to researchers, the findings put a dent in the theory that young peoples brains are better at multitasking on digital gadgets. The problem is that most people have Facebook or other social networking sites, their emails and maybe instant messaging constantly running in the background while they are carrying out other tasks, the Daily Mail quoted study author Professor Paul Kirschner as saying. Our study, and other previous work, suggests that while people may think constant task-switching allows them to get more done in less time, the reality is it extends the amount of time needed to carry out tasks and leads to more mistakes, (pg 1237-1245) His team studied 219 students aged between 19 and 54 at an American university. It was observed that the Facebook users had a typical grade point average score from zero up to four of 3.06. Non-users had an average GPA of 3.82. Those who did not use the site also said they devoted more time to studying, spending an average of 88 per cent longer working outside class. Three fourth of the Facebook users claimed they didnt believe spending time on the site affected their academic performance. The study by Open University in the Netherlands will be published in the journal Computers in Human Behavior. According to Professor Paul Kirschner: The problem is that most people have Facebook or other social networking sites, their emails and maybe instant messaging constantly running in the background while they are carrying out other tasks. The Facebook users among them had a typical grade point average a score from zero up to four of 3.06. Non-users had an average GPA of 3.82 (pg 1237-1245) According to the researcher, students are always with their laptops, hand phone, and tabs. Therefore they will get the notifications while studying, students will tend to concentrate more on Facebook rather than their subject. Therefore, whenever the lecturer explains in the class, their concentration will be on Facebook. When comes to exam the students who did not use Facebook while concentrating in class will score more in exams rather than the students, that are more on Facebook. Yamamichi, (2011). Stated that the Facebook Statistics also mentions, that there are more than 250 million active users accessing Facebook through their mobile devices and people that use Facebook on their mobile devices are twice as active on Facebook than rare mobile users. This shows many of students not only use laptops and tabs, but they use Facebook on their mobile device to connect to Facebook. Canales, Wilbanks, and Yeoman (2007). Conducted their survey on sixty-one college students, they found that students who use Facebook more often generally have lower GPAs and tend more towards extraversion and neurosis (associated with anxiety, anger, depression, and impulsivity) than those students who use Facebook less. Referring to Choney, ( 2010) statement Users of Facebook have an average GPA of 3.06, while non-users have an average GPA of 3.82. It shows Facebook does affect their academic performance, to be included that students not using Facebook getting higher GPA then users in their exam. Another statement by Fodeman and Monroe, (2009). Students have an irresistible need to connect with their peers because of the development of these 24/7 accessible technologies. Therefore, the usage of Facebook can become a habit that may affect the academic performance of students as well as their quality of life. 2.4 Theory The theory of this study is the Uses and Gratification (UG). Uses and gratifications is a psychological communication perspective that examines how individuals use mass media. An audience based theoretical framework, it is grounded on the assumption that individuals select media and content to fulfill felt needs or wants. These needs are expressed as motives for adopting particular medium use and are connected to social and physical makeup of individual. Based on perceived needs, social and psychological characteristics, and media attributes, individuals use media and experience related gratifications. The perspective can be used to understand a variety of media uses and consequences. It assumes a relatively active audience, which consciously selects content and media to satisfy specific needs or desires. For example students do come to Facebook to fulfill their needs for self-expression. Some may post on statues to express their needs and also chat or message their friends. In this study, have to understanding the thoughts and behaviours of the students in using Facebook games and applications. The media uses and gratifications theory looks at understanding what people do with media outlets. This approach focuses on why people use particular media rather than on content. In contrast to the concern of the media effects tradition with what media do to people. Uses and Gratification can be seen as part of a broader trend amongst media researchers which is more concerned with what people do with media, allowing for a variety of responses and interpretations. Katz, Blumler, and Gurevitch (1974) describe the concept as one that is concerned with the social and psychological origins of needs, which generate expectations of the mass media or other sources, which lead to differential patterns of media exposure. This means many people use media to satisfy their needs, for example students use media such as Facebook to past their time, for a learning tool, play games and many more. Uses and Gratifications Approach offers another way of explaining why people expose themselves to some communications. Katz, Blumler, and Gurevitchs Uses and Gratification Theory suggest that media users play an active role in choosing and using media. Users take an active part in the communication process and are goal-oriented in their media usage. Theorists say that media users seek out source that best fulfills their needs. Uses and Gratifications Theory assumes that users have alternate choices to satisfy their needs (Griffin, 2000). Focus of this theory is that viewers attend, perceive and remember information that is pleasurable or that will in some way help satisfy their needs

Cause and Effect Essay: Deteriorating Health Causes Problems for Elderly Drivers :: Cause and Effect Essays

Driving is a simple task that many of us do on a daily basis. Most people are safe drivers, while a few are incapable of driving safely. Safe and capable is how most senior citizens can be viewed; however, there are some factors that can make a senior citizen dangerous behind the wheel. Some of the problems with the elderly today are that their reflexes react slower, they are hearing impaired, or a physical health change can be a big problem. Research has shown everyone ages differently and growing old does not necessarily mean a person becomes a safety hazard on the road. Much depends on the person's physical and mental health as the years pass. Because people age differently there should be certain test given to the elderly after the age of 65. First, an annual hearing test should be given to the elderly. About thirty percent of those over age 65 are hearing impaired. The ability to hear is more important to driving than most people realize. Hearing can warn a driver of danger signals like the sound of screaming sirens, honking horns, or screeching tires. There are occasions when a driver can hear a car but can't see it because of a blind spot. Good hearing helps drivers to be sensitive to what is happening on the roadways around them. Secondly, An annual visual acuity test should be given to the elderly. The elderly are not tested periodically so more often than not visual changes occur and go undetected. Passing a simple eye-test should guarantee clear sight. But many elderly people have visual defects that make it difficult for them to see road signs and pedestrians. Senior citizens may need to slow their vehicles to read a road sign, which can put them at risk for an accident with faster traffic. If they do not slow down, the risk may be smaller, but they cannot read the sign. Obviously, challenge of driving is not one that can be easily solved for the elderly. Lastly, a test on sensory motor skills should be given to the elderly. Cause and Effect Essay: Deteriorating Health Causes Problems for Elderly Drivers :: Cause and Effect Essays Driving is a simple task that many of us do on a daily basis. Most people are safe drivers, while a few are incapable of driving safely. Safe and capable is how most senior citizens can be viewed; however, there are some factors that can make a senior citizen dangerous behind the wheel. Some of the problems with the elderly today are that their reflexes react slower, they are hearing impaired, or a physical health change can be a big problem. Research has shown everyone ages differently and growing old does not necessarily mean a person becomes a safety hazard on the road. Much depends on the person's physical and mental health as the years pass. Because people age differently there should be certain test given to the elderly after the age of 65. First, an annual hearing test should be given to the elderly. About thirty percent of those over age 65 are hearing impaired. The ability to hear is more important to driving than most people realize. Hearing can warn a driver of danger signals like the sound of screaming sirens, honking horns, or screeching tires. There are occasions when a driver can hear a car but can't see it because of a blind spot. Good hearing helps drivers to be sensitive to what is happening on the roadways around them. Secondly, An annual visual acuity test should be given to the elderly. The elderly are not tested periodically so more often than not visual changes occur and go undetected. Passing a simple eye-test should guarantee clear sight. But many elderly people have visual defects that make it difficult for them to see road signs and pedestrians. Senior citizens may need to slow their vehicles to read a road sign, which can put them at risk for an accident with faster traffic. If they do not slow down, the risk may be smaller, but they cannot read the sign. Obviously, challenge of driving is not one that can be easily solved for the elderly. Lastly, a test on sensory motor skills should be given to the elderly.

Presidents cabinet :: Government Departments

Department of Treasury - Secretary John Snow 1. The purpose of the Dept. of Treasury is to help conditions for prosperity and stability in the United States, and to also help the rest of the world. The Department of Treasury manages federal finances. Treasury collects taxes, and collects debt from countries, as well as pay off the US debt. The currency, stamps, and coins are made by the Treasury. Not only do they enforce finance and tax laws, but they investigate and persecute tax evaders, forgers, and counterfeiters. Department of Labor - Secretary Elaine Chao The purpose of the Department of Labor is to maintain the welfare of job seekers, wage earners, and retirees in the United States. They improve working conditions, increasing profitable employment. The department of Labor protects retirement and health care benefits. They help employers find workers. Also, they measure other economic factors. Department of Transportation – Norman Y. Mineta The purpose of the Department of Transportation is to make sure that the citizens of the United States have a system of transportation that is efficient, safe, and fast. It needs to be easily accessible, and convenient. The situations that the Department of Transportation deals with are airplanes, highways, trains, and other forms of mass transportation of civilians. Department of Education – Margaret Spellings The purpose of the Department of Education is to make education equally accessible, and to help students become excellent students. This department deals with stopping discrimination, collecting data on American schools, and also funding financial aid for education. Department of Justice – Alberto Gonzales The purpose of the Department of Justice is to enforce laws. They punish people who break the laws of The United States. The department of Justice takes care of criminals, immigrants, and interprets the Constitution fairly and effectively. Department of Interior – Gale Norton The Department of Interior is the United States’ main conservation agency. Their purpose is to protect nature, and preserve US land marks. The department manages 504 million acres of land, 471 dams, and 348 reservoirs. They take care of U.S. energy needs, Native American lands and needs, and recreational and cultural opportunities. Department of Housing & Urban Development – Alphonso Jackson The Department of Housing and Urban Development’s purpose is to help more people become homeowners. They are to support the development of the community, and to make houses affordable, regardless of sex, race, creed, etc. The department deals with increasing homeownership, supporting community development, and increasing affordable housing, free of discrimination.

Essay --

Some resources needed to become a record label owner consist of, a â€Å"go to guy or girl† for graphic design, merchandise printers, a talent manager. Some common sense things that would professional in this career might be: moderate typing skills and a lot of patience. A great way to catch people’s attention is a logo. A professional looking logo is always worth how ever much it is priced or quoted by the graphic designer you choose to use. There are many so don’t think your choices are limited. I personally know 10 off the top of my head, including myself. But for the best work, it’s sometimes better to have someone else do your graphic design work, as it’s not burdening you on your other jobs you need to look into for your label. Usually graphic designers are common with mostly all of the social media sites out there. The main sites that I’ve seen graphic designers on, include: Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Instagram, and usually their own site recommended by someone on any of the above social media sites. That guy would most likely be doing all of your merchandise for your label, or bands as well. Merchandise (aka. merch) printer/distributors’, is a great thing to have when you’re a record label owner. Especially if your designer does a great job that wants people to spend their money on your merch. A great thing to look for in a merch printer/distributor, is by looking into their previous customers. Seeing if they had any problems, or any setbacks, or just problems with being unprepared. Finding someone who already has a flat rate is great because their flat rate can give you the number you’re looking for when saving your money or purchasing your printed merch. Being able to tell a good band apart from a mediocre, not really... ...ught as a threat. Other labels don’t really enjoy competition, especially when your label takes a band that they wanted to sign to their label. Another great way to get attention is promotional pages on Facebook, Twitter, and other sites that have a smaller fan base, but want attention to their small time bands. When using promotional pages you always try to get â€Å"Likes† on your Facebook, because usually that’s one of the first thing a band looks for when looking for a label. Then it’s professional qualities. Activity on the page, maturity, and so on. Say for example, my label partner and I have discussed that no other label this close to their inception looks this professional AND can provide what we can for our bands. That includes discounted designs, music videos, lyric videos (typography videos), promotion, and many more things â€Å"Afflicted Records† can provide.

Jack London

ANQ: A Quarterly Journal of Short Articles, Notes, and Reviews, Vol. 23, No. 3, 172–178, 2010 Copyright  © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC ISSN: 0895-769X DOI: 10. 1080/08957691003712363 R USSELL M. H ILLIER Providence College Crystal Beards and Dantean In? uence in Jack London’s â€Å"To Build a Fire (II)† James I. McClintock has described Jack London’s classic short story â€Å"To Build a Fire (II)† as the â€Å"most mature expression of his pessimism† (116).In what follows, I wish to explore the possibility that there is a substantial element of spiritual allegory operative in London’s narrative. London originally conceived his tale as a moral fable and a cautionary narrative to American youth never to travel alone. To this end, London published the story in Youth’s Companion. In its ? nal version, though, the tale assumed decidedly darker and more sinister tones.In capturing the menace of the inclement northland, London was dr awing upon his own travels in the Klondike, but I would argue that his narrative was also inspired by a fusion of his experience of the harsh and bleak environment of Dawson City with his encounter with the literature he read while he was sheltering in a winter cabin beside the Stewart River, in circumstances London’s biographer Andrew Sinclair characterizes as â€Å"a trap of cold and boredom, short rations and scurvy† (48). Sinclair describes the modest library with which London weathered that cramped and piercingly cold spell of ? e months and writes how, â€Å"In the tedious con? nes of the winter cabins, [London] settled down to absorb the books that became the bedrock of his thought and writing, underlying even the socialism which was his faith. These were the works of Darwin, Huxley, Herbert Spencer, and Kipling, Milton’s Paradise Lost and Dante’s Inferno† (48). The last two works Sinclair accounts for are of particular consequence. Between the pages of Milton and Dante’s epics London would have encountered fallen angels and unrepentant sinners who had been immured in Hell for committing crimes of hubris.Indeed, London transferred his fascination for the hubris of Milton’s Satan to his antihero Wolf Larsen in the novel The Sea-Wolf . 1 Most importantly, though, London would have discovered, at the outer reaches of Milton’s Hell, â€Å"a frozen Continent [ . . . ] dark and wilde, beat with perpetual storms / Of Whirlwind 172 Jack London’s â€Å"To Build a Fire (II)† 173 and dire Hail, [ . . . ] all else deep snow and ice† (PL 2. 587–89, 591); and, within the innermost circle of Dante’s pit of Hell, he would have found a frozen subterranean lake blasted by biting winds.Neither infernal vision would have been so very far removed from London’s own experience of the subzero temperatures and appalling conditions of the Klondike. Indeed, the inhuman cold that defe ats London’s protagonist was as much an attribute of the traditional medieval idea of Hell as its notorious qualities of ? re and brimstone. The landscape of London’s revised tale is conspicuously preternatural— â€Å"the mysterious, far-reaching hair-line trail, the absence of sun from the sky, the tremendous cold, and the strangeness and weirdness of it all† (1302).Where Milton’s Hell is characterized by the paradoxical quality of â€Å"darkness visible† (PL 1. 63), London’s comfortless northern world has â€Å"an intangible pall over the face of things, a subtle gloom that made the day dark† (1301). London’s protagonist is an anonymous â€Å"man,† a gold prospector who not only lacks the imagination to survive in the Yukon wasteland, but who is also oblivious to any metaphysical possibilities and unmindful of â€Å"the conjectural ? eld of immortality and man’s place in the universe† (1302).Incapa ble of companionability, the man always travels alone, except for his husky, an animal he treats with contempt and even with hostility. His disdain for the wise counsel that â€Å"the old-timer on Sulphur Creek† (1309) gives him to travel into the northland with a partner is a recurrent reminder to London’s reader of the man’s improvidence, unsociability, and willful self-alienation. London’s own brutal ordeal in the Klondike had taught him the importance of having a trail-mate: when wintering by the Stewart River, London and Fred Thompson, journeying for supplies through the wilderness, had â€Å"backpacked all the way or they pulled heir own sled, for they owned no team of huskies† (Sinclair 48). In the case of the man in London’s narrative, the idea of working alongside or depending upon other creatures means no more to him than the enjoyment of the commodities he associates with them: â€Å"the boys† at the camp, for example, whom the man always keeps in mind throughout the tale, are, to the man, indistinguishable from the material comforts he hopes to gain from â€Å"a ? re† and â€Å"a hot supper† (1302).The marked in? uence of Dante in London’s narrative, a crucial factor in one’s appreciation of the tale which, to the best of my knowledge, has hitherto escaped critical attention, helps to con? rm London’s infernal rendering of the unforgiving Yukon wasteland. In structural terms the story has a repetitive, nightmarish quality as â€Å"the man† makes three desperate ventures to build a ? re that are each time frustrated—? rst, by having the ? e â€Å"blotted out† by an â€Å"avalanche† of snow (1309); second, by having his book of sulphur matches extinguished in one fell swoop (1310–11); and, third, by having â€Å"the nucleus of the little ? re† snuffed out by a â€Å"large piece of green moss† (1311). Lee Clark Mitchell has drawn attention 174 ANQ: A Quarterly Journal of Short Articles, Notes, and Reviews to the ominous, reiterative quality of the tale and to how â€Å"events [ . . . ] repeat themselves into an eerie signi? cance, as the man attempts over and over to enact the story’s titular in? nitive† (78).The man’s predicament recalls the unrelenting fates of transgressors in the classical underworld—of Sisyphus, who pushes a boulder up a hill, only for it to roll down the hill’s other side, or of Tantalus, who fruitlessly reaches out to eat from a branch that is always eluding his grasp. But the man’s thwarted actions also mimic the commitment of Dante’s sinners to both the unending nature of the punishment they must suffer and the experience of their particular sin’s interminable round in each of the nine vicious circles built into the funnel of Dante’s Hell.London underlines the infernal atmosphere of his tale. He is careful, for instance, to identify the old-timer on Sulphur Creek, who warns the man that a traveler should never venture alone into the Klondike in treacherous weather, with that essential feature of Hell, namely Hell’s sulphurate fumes. London further emphasizes this theme by having his antihero build a ? re with â€Å"his bunch of sulphur matches† (1310) that, when lit, emits an evil smell of â€Å"burning brimstone† (1311). On bungling his second desperate attempt to build a ? re, the man not only blunders and sets a? me all of his remaining seventy matches, he also sets alight his own hand, so that the burning of his ? esh by ? re becomes associated with the freezing cold that burns into the core of his being at the story’s climax. The freezing cold that literally chills the man to the bone is as apt a fate as a case of Dantean contrapasso, where the punishment of the sinner is appropriate to the nature of their sin. The man’s ethical insentience, his lac k of a moral and metaphysical compass to direct his choices and regulate his attitude toward others and toward the universe of which he is a part, is re? cted in the deadening numbness that torments and ultimately destroys him. London includes in his narrative one small but revealing detail from Dante’s Inferno that gives the reader a key to unlock the moral of his fable. Because of the intense cold, the beard of London’s nameless protagonist, like the coat of the husky that reluctantly accompanies the man, sports an icy â€Å"appendage† (1303): The frozen moisture of [the husky’s] breathing had settled on its fur in a ? ne powder of frost, and especially were its jowls, muzzle, and eyelashes whitened by its crystalled breath.The man’s red beard and mustache were likewise frosted, but more solidly, the deposit taking the form of ice and increasing with every warm, moist breath he exhaled. Also, the man was chewing tobacco, and the muzzle of ice hel d his lips so rigidly that he was unable to clear his chin when he expelled the juice. The result was that a crystal beard of the color and solidity of amber was increasing its length on his chin. If he fell down Jack London’s â€Å"To Build a Fire (II)† 175 it would shatter itself, like glass, into brittle fragments. But he did not mind the appendage. 1303) This curious â€Å"ice-muzzle on his mouth† (1304) elongates as the man progresses on his journey, so that â€Å"he continued monotonously to chew tobacco and to increase the length of his amber beard† (1304); later still, the â€Å"ice-muzzle† (1306) obstructs his mouth when he attempts to eat his meal. The â€Å"amber beard,† a vivid if admittedly bizarre feature of London’s tale, gathers in signi? cance if we recollect events in the ninth and ? nal circle of Dante’s Inferno. When Dante the pilgrim arrives at Hell’s bottom, he discovers a frozen Lake Cocytus that i s swept by bitter, freezing winds.As Dante ventures toward the heart of Lake Cocytus, where the ? gure of Lucifer weeps, gnashes his teeth, and beats his wings, he eventually arrives at the region of Ptolomea (Inf. 33. 124). In this place he ? nds wretched sinners buried up to their waists in ice: We went farther on, where the frost roughly swathes another people, not bent downwards, but with faces all upturned. The very weeping there prevents their weeping, and the grief, which ? nds a barrier upon their eyes, turns inward to increase the agony, for the ? rst tears form a knot and, like a crystal visor, ? l all the cup beneath the eyebrow. (Inf . 33. 91–99) The â€Å"crystal visor [visiere di cristallo]† (Inf . 33. 98) or â€Å"the hard veils [i duri veli]† (Inf . 33. 112) that form and clamp about the faces of these sinners offer an attractive source for the â€Å"crystal beard† or â€Å"muzzle of ice† that torments the countenance of London†™s antihero. Just as the tears around the faces of Dante’s sinners solidify and accumulate to form visors or veils, so the tobacco spit in the beard of London’s protagonist encrusts, clusters, and builds to form an icemuzzle.London’s ice-muzzle that shatters, â€Å"like glass, into brittle fragments† (1303), also seems to recall Dante’s frozen Lake Cocytus, which has the durability â€Å"of glass [di vetro]† (Inf . 32. 24). In his depiction of the Yukon London gestures further to Dante’s sinners, who are embedded in Lake Cocytus. Just as Dante’s Lake Cocytus is one solid block of ice, so the creek that surrounds the man â€Å"was frozen clear to the bottom, — no creek could contain water in that arctic winter† (1304).Equally, just as Dante’s sinners are trapped in the ice, so various ice pools, covered with â€Å"a snow-hidden ice-skin† (1305), present â€Å"traps† (1304) that are concealed around the surface of the creek. It is through the ice-skin of one of these same traps that the man falls and, like Dante’s â€Å"wretches of the cold crust [tristi de la fredda crosta]† (Inf . 33. 109), the man â€Å"wet[s] himself halfway to the knees before he ? oundered out to the ?rm crust† (1307). 176 ANQ: A Quarterly Journal of Short Articles, Notes, and ReviewsLondon’s allusion to Dante is all the more pertinent when we consider the nature of the sin for which Dante’s transgressors in Ptolomea are being punished. The inhabitants of Ptolomea are those offenders who have transgressed against their guests, hosts, or companions. London’s critics have acknowledged the man’s hubris as â€Å"an overweening con? dence in the ef? cacy of his own rational faculties and a corresponding blindness to the dark, nonrational powers of nature, chance, and fate† (Labor 63–64). Yet, as with Dante’s sinners con? ed in Ptolome a, the fatal ? aw of London’s antihero is as much his inability to understand the value of companionship or community. In this way the nameless man’s husky acts as a foil to its master. London characterizes the relationship between the man and his dog as that existing between a â€Å"? re-provider† (1309) and a â€Å"toil-slave† (1306), and, as such, he reveals that their union is based upon a ruthless pact of convenience and functionality rather than an accord of mutual love, respect, and sympathy.The â€Å"menacing throat-sounds† (1307) of the man are, to the perceptions of the dog, as â€Å"the sound of whip-lashes† (1307), and the narrative con? rms the dog’s apprehensions in his master’s futile, last ditch effort to destroy man’s best friend and use its very lifeblood and vital warmth in order to save his own skin. London’s account of his protagonist’s failure to be companionate with his dog is a cruci al index to the man’s inability to â€Å"meditate upon his frailty as a creature of temperature, and upon man’s frailty in general† (1302).His cruel treatment of his dog furnishes yet another example of his refusal to perceive his fellow human beings and the natural world surrounding him as more than â€Å"things† stripped bare of their â€Å"signi? cances† (1302). His aversion to companionability, which is equivalent to Dante’s sin of Ptolomea, is further re? ected in his refusal to heed the old-timer’s advice to foster human community and trust to a â€Å"trail-mate† (1309). London’s allusion to both the frozen wastes of Dante’s Ptolomea and the crystal beards of the sinners who reside in that nhospitable climate provides a convincing literary analogue for London’s haunting and gloomy depiction of the Klondike; the intertext also serves to highlight the nature of the tragic ? aw of London’s protago nist in placing his trust in a misguided individualism where â€Å"any man who was a man could travel alone† (1308). It may be the case that in the parallels between Jack London’s severe experience of being buried in the Klondike and Dante’s unforgettable vision of his cardinal sinners, buried in Lake Cocytus, London found a subject that he could not resist treating imaginatively, irrespective of his religious and political standpoint.However, if, as I believe, London’s â€Å"To Build a Fire (II)† can be read as a moral fable of transgression and punishment that is heavily invested in the stuff of spiritual allegory and, in particular, relies upon the design of Dante’s Commedia, then our tidy, traditional understanding of London as a long-standing, dedicated Socialist who was condescending toward, if not scornful of, spiritual and religious matters becomes problematic or, at the very least, open to reassessment. Jack London’s â€Å"T o Build a Fire (II)† 177So that there can be no mistaking the tale’s literary debt to the Florentine master, London’s coda to his narrative contains a strong, though unsettling, allusion to the close of each of Dante’s three canticles. The allusion unsettles, because it bears London’s signature pessimism regarding an unresponsive universe. As, in turn, each canticle ends, Dante the pilgrim gains an increasingly clari? ed and luminous perspective upon the starry universe that proclaims God’s abundant love and His concern for Creation: in Inferno, while emerging from Hell’s pit onto the surface of the Earth, Dante is able to contemplate the ? mament and â€Å"see again the stars [riveder le stelle]† (Inf . 34. 139); in Purgatorio, from the peak of Mount Purgatory Dante is â€Å"pure and ready to rise to the stars [puro e disposto a salire a le stelle]† (Purg. 33. 145); and, in Paradiso, Dante is at long last granted a beati ? c vision of his Maker and is ? lled with wonder â€Å"by the Love which moves the sun and the other stars [l’amor che move il sole e l’altre stelle]† (Parad. 33. 145).In contrast, London’s powerful closing image of the husky, now masterless and â€Å"howling under the stars that leaped and danced and shone brightly in the cold sky† (1315), indicates a more indifferent and uncaring naturalistic universe than the ordered Dantean cosmos where God’s embosoming love moves the sun and the other stars. Perhaps, then, in London’s closing reversion to the bright, dancing stars and the cold sky of an unfeeling universe, James McClintock is correct in his critical judgment that, ultimately, London never truly abandoned his essentially pessimistic worldview in â€Å"To Build a Fire (II)†.Notes I wish to thank my freshman class from the fall semester of 2009 for being a receptive audience to the ideas presented in this paper. Above all, I am grateful to Marek Ignatowicz, a poet and a true man of letters. Without his facility for illuminating discussion on all things literary, and without our memorable conversation on the subject of beards in fact and in ? ction, it is highly probable that the topic of this paper would never have occurred to me. 1 Milton’s Paradise Lost, and in particular the character of Milton’s Satan, is an inspiration to Wolf Larsen in The Sea-Wolf .Larsen remarks of Milton’s fallen archangel: â€Å"But Lucifer was a free spirit. To serve was to suffocate. He preferred suffering in freedom to all the happiness of a comfortable servility. He did not care to serve God. He cared to serve nothing. He was no ? gurehead. He stood on his own legs. He was an individual† (249). Works Cited Dante Alighieri. The Divine Comedy: Inferno. Trans. Charles S. Singleton. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1970. Print. ———. The Divine Comedy: Paradiso. Trans. Cha rles S. Singleton.Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1975. Print. 178 ANQ: A Quarterly Journal of Short Articles, Notes, and Reviews ———. The Divine Comedy: Purgatorio. Trans. Charles S. Singleton. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1973. Print. Labor, Earle. Jack London. New York: Twayne Publishers, 1974. Print. London, Jack. The Complete Short Stories of Jack London. Ed. Earle Labor, Robert C. Leitz, III, and I. Milo Shepard. 3 vols. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1993. Print. ———. The Sea-Wolf . New York: MacMillan, 1967. Print. McClintock, James I.White Logic: Jack London’s Short Stories. Cedar Springs: Wolf House Books, 1976. Print. Milton, John. The Poetical Works of John Milton. Ed. Helen Darbishire. London: Oxford University Press,1958. Print. Mitchell, Lee Clark. â€Å"‘Keeping His Head’: Repetition and Responsibility in London’s ‘To Build a Fire. †Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Journal of Modern Lite rature 13. 1 (1986): 76–96. Print. Sinclair, Andrew. Jack: A Biography of Jack London. London: Harper and Row, 1977. Print. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Jack London ANQ: A Quarterly Journal of Short Articles, Notes, and Reviews, Vol. 23, No. 3, 172–178, 2010 Copyright  © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC ISSN: 0895-769X DOI: 10. 1080/08957691003712363 R USSELL M. H ILLIER Providence College Crystal Beards and Dantean In? uence in Jack London’s â€Å"To Build a Fire (II)† James I. McClintock has described Jack London’s classic short story â€Å"To Build a Fire (II)† as the â€Å"most mature expression of his pessimism† (116).In what follows, I wish to explore the possibility that there is a substantial element of spiritual allegory operative in London’s narrative. London originally conceived his tale as a moral fable and a cautionary narrative to American youth never to travel alone. To this end, London published the story in Youth’s Companion. In its ? nal version, though, the tale assumed decidedly darker and more sinister tones.In capturing the menace of the inclement northland, London was dr awing upon his own travels in the Klondike, but I would argue that his narrative was also inspired by a fusion of his experience of the harsh and bleak environment of Dawson City with his encounter with the literature he read while he was sheltering in a winter cabin beside the Stewart River, in circumstances London’s biographer Andrew Sinclair characterizes as â€Å"a trap of cold and boredom, short rations and scurvy† (48). Sinclair describes the modest library with which London weathered that cramped and piercingly cold spell of ? e months and writes how, â€Å"In the tedious con? nes of the winter cabins, [London] settled down to absorb the books that became the bedrock of his thought and writing, underlying even the socialism which was his faith. These were the works of Darwin, Huxley, Herbert Spencer, and Kipling, Milton’s Paradise Lost and Dante’s Inferno† (48). The last two works Sinclair accounts for are of particular consequence. Between the pages of Milton and Dante’s epics London would have encountered fallen angels and unrepentant sinners who had been immured in Hell for committing crimes of hubris.Indeed, London transferred his fascination for the hubris of Milton’s Satan to his antihero Wolf Larsen in the novel The Sea-Wolf . 1 Most importantly, though, London would have discovered, at the outer reaches of Milton’s Hell, â€Å"a frozen Continent [ . . . ] dark and wilde, beat with perpetual storms / Of Whirlwind 172 Jack London’s â€Å"To Build a Fire (II)† 173 and dire Hail, [ . . . ] all else deep snow and ice† (PL 2. 587–89, 591); and, within the innermost circle of Dante’s pit of Hell, he would have found a frozen subterranean lake blasted by biting winds.Neither infernal vision would have been so very far removed from London’s own experience of the subzero temperatures and appalling conditions of the Klondike. Indeed, the inhuman cold that defe ats London’s protagonist was as much an attribute of the traditional medieval idea of Hell as its notorious qualities of ? re and brimstone. The landscape of London’s revised tale is conspicuously preternatural— â€Å"the mysterious, far-reaching hair-line trail, the absence of sun from the sky, the tremendous cold, and the strangeness and weirdness of it all† (1302).Where Milton’s Hell is characterized by the paradoxical quality of â€Å"darkness visible† (PL 1. 63), London’s comfortless northern world has â€Å"an intangible pall over the face of things, a subtle gloom that made the day dark† (1301). London’s protagonist is an anonymous â€Å"man,† a gold prospector who not only lacks the imagination to survive in the Yukon wasteland, but who is also oblivious to any metaphysical possibilities and unmindful of â€Å"the conjectural ? eld of immortality and man’s place in the universe† (1302).Incapa ble of companionability, the man always travels alone, except for his husky, an animal he treats with contempt and even with hostility. His disdain for the wise counsel that â€Å"the old-timer on Sulphur Creek† (1309) gives him to travel into the northland with a partner is a recurrent reminder to London’s reader of the man’s improvidence, unsociability, and willful self-alienation. London’s own brutal ordeal in the Klondike had taught him the importance of having a trail-mate: when wintering by the Stewart River, London and Fred Thompson, journeying for supplies through the wilderness, had â€Å"backpacked all the way or they pulled heir own sled, for they owned no team of huskies† (Sinclair 48). In the case of the man in London’s narrative, the idea of working alongside or depending upon other creatures means no more to him than the enjoyment of the commodities he associates with them: â€Å"the boys† at the camp, for example, whom the man always keeps in mind throughout the tale, are, to the man, indistinguishable from the material comforts he hopes to gain from â€Å"a ? re† and â€Å"a hot supper† (1302).The marked in? uence of Dante in London’s narrative, a crucial factor in one’s appreciation of the tale which, to the best of my knowledge, has hitherto escaped critical attention, helps to con? rm London’s infernal rendering of the unforgiving Yukon wasteland. In structural terms the story has a repetitive, nightmarish quality as â€Å"the man† makes three desperate ventures to build a ? re that are each time frustrated—? rst, by having the ? e â€Å"blotted out† by an â€Å"avalanche† of snow (1309); second, by having his book of sulphur matches extinguished in one fell swoop (1310–11); and, third, by having â€Å"the nucleus of the little ? re† snuffed out by a â€Å"large piece of green moss† (1311). Lee Clark Mitchell has drawn attention 174 ANQ: A Quarterly Journal of Short Articles, Notes, and Reviews to the ominous, reiterative quality of the tale and to how â€Å"events [ . . . ] repeat themselves into an eerie signi? cance, as the man attempts over and over to enact the story’s titular in? nitive† (78).The man’s predicament recalls the unrelenting fates of transgressors in the classical underworld—of Sisyphus, who pushes a boulder up a hill, only for it to roll down the hill’s other side, or of Tantalus, who fruitlessly reaches out to eat from a branch that is always eluding his grasp. But the man’s thwarted actions also mimic the commitment of Dante’s sinners to both the unending nature of the punishment they must suffer and the experience of their particular sin’s interminable round in each of the nine vicious circles built into the funnel of Dante’s Hell.London underlines the infernal atmosphere of his tale. He is careful, for instance, to identify the old-timer on Sulphur Creek, who warns the man that a traveler should never venture alone into the Klondike in treacherous weather, with that essential feature of Hell, namely Hell’s sulphurate fumes. London further emphasizes this theme by having his antihero build a ? re with â€Å"his bunch of sulphur matches† (1310) that, when lit, emits an evil smell of â€Å"burning brimstone† (1311). On bungling his second desperate attempt to build a ? re, the man not only blunders and sets a? me all of his remaining seventy matches, he also sets alight his own hand, so that the burning of his ? esh by ? re becomes associated with the freezing cold that burns into the core of his being at the story’s climax. The freezing cold that literally chills the man to the bone is as apt a fate as a case of Dantean contrapasso, where the punishment of the sinner is appropriate to the nature of their sin. The man’s ethical insentience, his lac k of a moral and metaphysical compass to direct his choices and regulate his attitude toward others and toward the universe of which he is a part, is re? cted in the deadening numbness that torments and ultimately destroys him. London includes in his narrative one small but revealing detail from Dante’s Inferno that gives the reader a key to unlock the moral of his fable. Because of the intense cold, the beard of London’s nameless protagonist, like the coat of the husky that reluctantly accompanies the man, sports an icy â€Å"appendage† (1303): The frozen moisture of [the husky’s] breathing had settled on its fur in a ? ne powder of frost, and especially were its jowls, muzzle, and eyelashes whitened by its crystalled breath.The man’s red beard and mustache were likewise frosted, but more solidly, the deposit taking the form of ice and increasing with every warm, moist breath he exhaled. Also, the man was chewing tobacco, and the muzzle of ice hel d his lips so rigidly that he was unable to clear his chin when he expelled the juice. The result was that a crystal beard of the color and solidity of amber was increasing its length on his chin. If he fell down Jack London’s â€Å"To Build a Fire (II)† 175 it would shatter itself, like glass, into brittle fragments. But he did not mind the appendage. 1303) This curious â€Å"ice-muzzle on his mouth† (1304) elongates as the man progresses on his journey, so that â€Å"he continued monotonously to chew tobacco and to increase the length of his amber beard† (1304); later still, the â€Å"ice-muzzle† (1306) obstructs his mouth when he attempts to eat his meal. The â€Å"amber beard,† a vivid if admittedly bizarre feature of London’s tale, gathers in signi? cance if we recollect events in the ninth and ? nal circle of Dante’s Inferno. When Dante the pilgrim arrives at Hell’s bottom, he discovers a frozen Lake Cocytus that i s swept by bitter, freezing winds.As Dante ventures toward the heart of Lake Cocytus, where the ? gure of Lucifer weeps, gnashes his teeth, and beats his wings, he eventually arrives at the region of Ptolomea (Inf. 33. 124). In this place he ? nds wretched sinners buried up to their waists in ice: We went farther on, where the frost roughly swathes another people, not bent downwards, but with faces all upturned. The very weeping there prevents their weeping, and the grief, which ? nds a barrier upon their eyes, turns inward to increase the agony, for the ? rst tears form a knot and, like a crystal visor, ? l all the cup beneath the eyebrow. (Inf . 33. 91–99) The â€Å"crystal visor [visiere di cristallo]† (Inf . 33. 98) or â€Å"the hard veils [i duri veli]† (Inf . 33. 112) that form and clamp about the faces of these sinners offer an attractive source for the â€Å"crystal beard† or â€Å"muzzle of ice† that torments the countenance of London†™s antihero. Just as the tears around the faces of Dante’s sinners solidify and accumulate to form visors or veils, so the tobacco spit in the beard of London’s protagonist encrusts, clusters, and builds to form an icemuzzle.London’s ice-muzzle that shatters, â€Å"like glass, into brittle fragments† (1303), also seems to recall Dante’s frozen Lake Cocytus, which has the durability â€Å"of glass [di vetro]† (Inf . 32. 24). In his depiction of the Yukon London gestures further to Dante’s sinners, who are embedded in Lake Cocytus. Just as Dante’s Lake Cocytus is one solid block of ice, so the creek that surrounds the man â€Å"was frozen clear to the bottom, — no creek could contain water in that arctic winter† (1304).Equally, just as Dante’s sinners are trapped in the ice, so various ice pools, covered with â€Å"a snow-hidden ice-skin† (1305), present â€Å"traps† (1304) that are concealed around the surface of the creek. It is through the ice-skin of one of these same traps that the man falls and, like Dante’s â€Å"wretches of the cold crust [tristi de la fredda crosta]† (Inf . 33. 109), the man â€Å"wet[s] himself halfway to the knees before he ? oundered out to the ?rm crust† (1307). 176 ANQ: A Quarterly Journal of Short Articles, Notes, and ReviewsLondon’s allusion to Dante is all the more pertinent when we consider the nature of the sin for which Dante’s transgressors in Ptolomea are being punished. The inhabitants of Ptolomea are those offenders who have transgressed against their guests, hosts, or companions. London’s critics have acknowledged the man’s hubris as â€Å"an overweening con? dence in the ef? cacy of his own rational faculties and a corresponding blindness to the dark, nonrational powers of nature, chance, and fate† (Labor 63–64). Yet, as with Dante’s sinners con? ed in Ptolome a, the fatal ? aw of London’s antihero is as much his inability to understand the value of companionship or community. In this way the nameless man’s husky acts as a foil to its master. London characterizes the relationship between the man and his dog as that existing between a â€Å"? re-provider† (1309) and a â€Å"toil-slave† (1306), and, as such, he reveals that their union is based upon a ruthless pact of convenience and functionality rather than an accord of mutual love, respect, and sympathy.The â€Å"menacing throat-sounds† (1307) of the man are, to the perceptions of the dog, as â€Å"the sound of whip-lashes† (1307), and the narrative con? rms the dog’s apprehensions in his master’s futile, last ditch effort to destroy man’s best friend and use its very lifeblood and vital warmth in order to save his own skin. London’s account of his protagonist’s failure to be companionate with his dog is a cruci al index to the man’s inability to â€Å"meditate upon his frailty as a creature of temperature, and upon man’s frailty in general† (1302).His cruel treatment of his dog furnishes yet another example of his refusal to perceive his fellow human beings and the natural world surrounding him as more than â€Å"things† stripped bare of their â€Å"signi? cances† (1302). His aversion to companionability, which is equivalent to Dante’s sin of Ptolomea, is further re? ected in his refusal to heed the old-timer’s advice to foster human community and trust to a â€Å"trail-mate† (1309). London’s allusion to both the frozen wastes of Dante’s Ptolomea and the crystal beards of the sinners who reside in that nhospitable climate provides a convincing literary analogue for London’s haunting and gloomy depiction of the Klondike; the intertext also serves to highlight the nature of the tragic ? aw of London’s protago nist in placing his trust in a misguided individualism where â€Å"any man who was a man could travel alone† (1308). It may be the case that in the parallels between Jack London’s severe experience of being buried in the Klondike and Dante’s unforgettable vision of his cardinal sinners, buried in Lake Cocytus, London found a subject that he could not resist treating imaginatively, irrespective of his religious and political standpoint.However, if, as I believe, London’s â€Å"To Build a Fire (II)† can be read as a moral fable of transgression and punishment that is heavily invested in the stuff of spiritual allegory and, in particular, relies upon the design of Dante’s Commedia, then our tidy, traditional understanding of London as a long-standing, dedicated Socialist who was condescending toward, if not scornful of, spiritual and religious matters becomes problematic or, at the very least, open to reassessment. Jack London’s â€Å"T o Build a Fire (II)† 177So that there can be no mistaking the tale’s literary debt to the Florentine master, London’s coda to his narrative contains a strong, though unsettling, allusion to the close of each of Dante’s three canticles. The allusion unsettles, because it bears London’s signature pessimism regarding an unresponsive universe. As, in turn, each canticle ends, Dante the pilgrim gains an increasingly clari? ed and luminous perspective upon the starry universe that proclaims God’s abundant love and His concern for Creation: in Inferno, while emerging from Hell’s pit onto the surface of the Earth, Dante is able to contemplate the ? mament and â€Å"see again the stars [riveder le stelle]† (Inf . 34. 139); in Purgatorio, from the peak of Mount Purgatory Dante is â€Å"pure and ready to rise to the stars [puro e disposto a salire a le stelle]† (Purg. 33. 145); and, in Paradiso, Dante is at long last granted a beati ? c vision of his Maker and is ? lled with wonder â€Å"by the Love which moves the sun and the other stars [l’amor che move il sole e l’altre stelle]† (Parad. 33. 145).In contrast, London’s powerful closing image of the husky, now masterless and â€Å"howling under the stars that leaped and danced and shone brightly in the cold sky† (1315), indicates a more indifferent and uncaring naturalistic universe than the ordered Dantean cosmos where God’s embosoming love moves the sun and the other stars. Perhaps, then, in London’s closing reversion to the bright, dancing stars and the cold sky of an unfeeling universe, James McClintock is correct in his critical judgment that, ultimately, London never truly abandoned his essentially pessimistic worldview in â€Å"To Build a Fire (II)†.Notes I wish to thank my freshman class from the fall semester of 2009 for being a receptive audience to the ideas presented in this paper. Above all, I am grateful to Marek Ignatowicz, a poet and a true man of letters. Without his facility for illuminating discussion on all things literary, and without our memorable conversation on the subject of beards in fact and in ? ction, it is highly probable that the topic of this paper would never have occurred to me. 1 Milton’s Paradise Lost, and in particular the character of Milton’s Satan, is an inspiration to Wolf Larsen in The Sea-Wolf .Larsen remarks of Milton’s fallen archangel: â€Å"But Lucifer was a free spirit. To serve was to suffocate. He preferred suffering in freedom to all the happiness of a comfortable servility. He did not care to serve God. He cared to serve nothing. He was no ? gurehead. He stood on his own legs. He was an individual† (249). Works Cited Dante Alighieri. The Divine Comedy: Inferno. Trans. Charles S. Singleton. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1970. Print. ———. The Divine Comedy: Paradiso. Trans. Cha rles S. Singleton.Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1975. Print. 178 ANQ: A Quarterly Journal of Short Articles, Notes, and Reviews ———. The Divine Comedy: Purgatorio. Trans. Charles S. Singleton. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1973. Print. Labor, Earle. Jack London. New York: Twayne Publishers, 1974. Print. London, Jack. The Complete Short Stories of Jack London. Ed. Earle Labor, Robert C. Leitz, III, and I. Milo Shepard. 3 vols. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1993. Print. ———. The Sea-Wolf . New York: MacMillan, 1967. Print. McClintock, James I.White Logic: Jack London’s Short Stories. Cedar Springs: Wolf House Books, 1976. Print. Milton, John. The Poetical Works of John Milton. Ed. Helen Darbishire. London: Oxford University Press,1958. Print. Mitchell, Lee Clark. â€Å"‘Keeping His Head’: Repetition and Responsibility in London’s ‘To Build a Fire. †Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Journal of Modern Lite rature 13. 1 (1986): 76–96. Print. Sinclair, Andrew. Jack: A Biography of Jack London. London: Harper and Row, 1977. Print. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.