Finance and Accounting Math Problem on Cooperate Finance

Finance and Accounting on Cooperate Finance - Math Problem Example Contribution from the parents would be invested at 6% annually for a period of 3 years. However the remaining amount will be raised from Aunt Hilda’s gift. So, at the moment, the future value of the contribution from the parents would be calculated and then this future value from the parents would be deducted from $10,000 to find the future value of the amount that would be raised from the Aunt Hilda. Once this amount is identified, the present value of Aunt Hilda gift will be calculated to identify the amount required from her. Parents would contribute $5,000 and that will be invested for 3 years at 6%. Therefore the future value of $5000 after 3 years would be FV = $5000 (1+ 6%) ^ 3 FV = 5,955 As the total value after 3 years required would be $10,000. So, after three years amount required for the trip except from the contribution of the parents would be $10,000 - $5,955 = $4045 $4,045 would be the amount that would be needed after 3 years. So, this is the future value of th e gift of Aunt Hilda. As this amount would be invested for three years at 10% therefore the present value of this amount would be: PV = 4,045 / (1 + 10%) ^ 3 PV = $3,039 Therefore, $3,039 would be taken from Aunt Hilda as gift. Question #2 Quark industries has four potential projects and the summary and expected cash flows of these projects have been shown below: Project M Project N Project O Project P Year 0 -2,000,000 -2,000,000 -2,000,000 -2,000,000 Year 1 500,000 600,000 1,000,000 300,000 Year 2 500,000 600,000 800,000 300,000 Year 3 500,000 600,000 800,000 300,000 Year 4 500,000 600,000 400,000 300,000 Year 5 500,000 600,000 200,000 300,000 Rate 6% 9% 15% 22% The above table shows the cash flows of each of these projects. In order to determine which project should be accepted, Net Present Value will be used. Net Present value discounts the future cash flows of the project and identifies its work in present (McLaney, 2009). After using the NPV following values have been identifi ed of each of the project: Project M Project N Project O Project P Rate 6% 9% 15% 22% NPV $100,171.60 $306,230.05 $285,765.03 ($935,170.55) Ranking 3 1 2 The above table shows that the project N would be the most feasible one for Quark industries. Ranking has been made that is showing that the Quark industries should invest first in Project N and then in Project O and then in Project M. The company should not invest in Project P as it has a negative NPV. References McLaney, E. (2009). Business Finance: Theory and Practice, New Jersey, Pearson Education Ross, S., Westerfield, R. and Jordan, B. (2009). Fundamentals Of Corporate Finance Standard Edition, New York,

Letter Of Counsling Essay Example for Free

Letter Of Counsling Essay 1. Investigation has disclosed that you have failed to pay several bills within the last 3 months. This has become such a problem that your cell phone service was threatened to be shut off, insurance revoked, and car repossessed. 2. You are hereby counseled. By failing to pay your just debts, you have failed to meet the standards found in the Air Force Instruction 36-2906. As an Air Force member, you are expected and required to manage your financial affairs in a proper manner. Your conduct has shown a lack of financial responsibility that is expected of Air Force servicemen and women. Further punishment will be applied if you continue to fail to meet this standard. 3. The following information required by the Privacy Act is provided for your information. AUTHORITY: 10 U.S.C. 8013. PURPOSE: To obtain any comments you desire to submit (on a voluntary basis) for consideration concerning this action. ROUTINE USES: Provides you an opportunity to submit comments or documents for consideration. If provided, the comments and documents you submit become a part of the action. DISCLOSURE: Your written acknowledgment of receipt and signature are mandatory. Any other comment or document you provide is voluntary. 4. You will acknowledge receipt of this letter immediately by signing the acknowledgement below. Within three (3) duty days from the day you received this letter, you will sign the 1st IND below. Any comments or documents you wish to be considered concerning this letter must be submitted at that time.

What Is The Blue Ocean Strategy Commerce Essay

What Is The Blue Ocean Strategy Commerce Essay Blue ocean strategy makes companies to come out of ocean of bloody competition by creating market space which is uncontested and that makes the completion irrelevant. Since, dividing up existing demand and benchmarking the competitors, Blue Ocean strategy is regarding grow demand and break away from the competition. The business universe can be thought as a composition of two kinds of oceans the first is the red ocean and second one is the blue ocean. Red ocean includes all the industries which exist today and it is about the known market space. But on the other side Blue Ocean can be considered as industries which are not in existing today and it is called unknown market space. The industries boundaries are defined and well accepted in the red oceans. In the red oceans the rules of competitive games are well defined. The companies try to take away the greater share of the existing demand. Because there is a cut throat competition that makes the red ocean bloody and products become c ommodities. Blue oceans and Red oceans Blue Ocean can be considered as a fact of the demand creation, untapped market space and greater opportunities of highly profitable growth. Some industries can be created well beyond of the existing industries. But most of the blue oceans are created from the within the red oceans by expanding the industry boundaries which are existing. Since, rules of the game are to be set so competition becomes irrelevant in the blue oceans. Red oceans will always be taken as a matter of business life. When supply exceeds the demand in more industries then the competition for contracting demand will not result in to sustain high performance. Companies will have to go beyond the competition. They will have to create blue oceans to make more profit and growth opportunities. The most focus of strategy work has been on the competition based red ocean strategies in the recent times. But it provided the fairly good understanding about skill of how to compete in competitive environment from analyzing the economic structure of the existing industry. It also helped in making a choice between strategic positions of differentiation or low cost or focus, to benchmark the competition. Strategy followed over the time period This term blue oceans may be new but their existence is not new at all. These are an important feature of business life, past and present. If we look back 100 years and ask ourselves, How many of todays industries were not existing then? Probably the answer can be seen as many industries as basic as petrochemicals, music recording, automobiles, aviation, management consulting and health care, were unheard of or had just started to evolve at that time. If we look back only 30 years then again we see, a multibillion-dollar industries came out like cell phones, mutual funds, biotechnology, gas-fired electricity plants, express package delivery, minivans discount retail, , snowboards, home videos, coffee bars and many more. If we take and try to see just three decades ago, not one of those industries was existing in a significant way. Now we see forward twenty years or perhaps fifty years and ask ourselves how many now unknown industries will likely exist then. If we go by seeing the history as a tool to predict the future, then again the answer is many of them. Some aspects considered to follow this strategy This is the reality that industries never become constant. Industries continuously keep evolving. The some operations related to industries improve, markets get expanded, and players enter and exit as the time passes. This is the fact that history gives us lessons that we have a great underestimated capability and capacity to create new industries and re-create the existing ones. The services sector which were under the old system, for example, now have been expanded into seven business sectors ranging from information to health care and social assistance. As given that these systems are designed for standardization and continuity, such a replacement shows how important the expansion of blue oceans has been. As we have noticed that the overriding focus of strategic thinking has been on competition based red ocean strategies. Creating blue ocean impact It can be quantified the impact of creating blue oceans on a firms growth in terms of both revenues and profits based on the studied data. It has been found that 86% of the new launches were extensions in the line that can be said as incremental improvements within the red ocean of known market space and those accounted for mere 62% of total revenues and mere 39% of total profits. The rest 14% of the launches were targeted at creating blue oceans and they created 38% of total revenues and 61% of total profits. Forces behind the blue ocean strategy The several driving forces are working behind a rising trend to create blue oceans. The advancements in technology have significantly has improved productivity of industry and made suppliers to produce the maximum possible array of products and services. This resulted in increment in the numbers of industries and supply exceeded demand. This followed trend toward globalization accelerated the situation. The trade barriers between nations and regions are becoming lenient and as the information regarding products and prices become instantly, easily and globally available, the niche markets and chances for monopoly continuously keep disappearing. Although supply is keep on rising as global competition increasing, and it is not providing clear evidence that of an increment in demand worldwide, and statistics or data even pointing towards to declining populations in many developed markets. This has been resulted in increased commoditization of products and services, intensified price wars , and contracting profit margins. Blue ocean help in creating brand For the major services and products categories, brands are normally becoming somewhat similar, and since they are appearing more similar people usually select those products based on price. The customers no longer say and firmly ask, as they insisted in the past, that their laundry detergent be Tide. Because of the overcrowded industries, differentiating brands are appearing harder in both economic downturns and upturns. This shows that the business surrounding environment in which various strategy and management practices of the 20th century evolved that time is now disappearing. Since, red oceans are becoming consistently bloody, management will have to be more concerned with blue oceans. Strategy helps in separating winners from losers The thing that makes the winners separate from losers in creating blue oceans was their strategy. Moreover, the companies running in the red oceans went by a approach which is conventional and going to beat the competition by building a safer condition and position within the industry existed. Those firm or creators of blue oceans, amazingly, did not take the competition as their benchmark. But they implemented a unique and different strategic logic that can be considered as value innovation. Value innovation important for this strategy This Value innovation can be taken as one of the important concerns in blue ocean strategy. It is called value innovation since in place of focusing on cope with the competition, the firms try to make the competition irrelevant by creating and achieving value for buyers( customers) and the company, so looking up new market space which is uncontested. This value innovation focuses equal importance on value and innovation. The values without innovation try to focus on value creation on the incremental scale, something which improves value but is not enough to make you sustain in the marketplace. Innovation without value will be technology-driven, market pioneering, or futuristic, most of the times shooting beyond what buyers or customers are ready to accept and pay for. It is essential to have better understanding that shows distinction between value innovation as opposed to innovation in technology and market pioneering. It makes clear that what separates winners from the losers in cr eating blue oceans is neither bleeding edge technology nor market entry timing. It has been seen that sometimes it exists but most of the time it does not. The value innovation takes place only when the companies bring innovation with cost positions, utility and price. The value innovation is a new and different way of thinking about and executing the strategy that results into the creation of a blue ocean and a come away from the competition. It is generally believed that firms or companies can either create intensified value to customers at a comparatively higher cost or can create reasonable value at a lower cost. Here it can be said that strategy is seen as selecting a choice between differentiation and low cost. But those that want to create blue oceans follow differentiation and low cost simultaneously. Other strategies related to blue ocean strategy The creation of blue oceans is about bringing costs down while simultaneously taking value up for buyers. This shows that how a leap in value for both the company and its buyers is achieved. Since, buyer value is created from the utility and price that the companies offer to buyers and because the value to the company is created from price and its cost structure, value innovation can be achieved only when the whole system of the firm or companys price, utility and cost activities is properly and effectively matched. This represents the whole-system approach that makes the creation of blue oceans a sustainable and effective strategy. Blue ocean strategy includes the range of a companys functional and operational tasks or activities. On the other side innovations such as production innovations can be get at the subsystem level without affecting the firms overall strategy. The value innovation is not only innovation but it is more than innovation. It describes strategy that integrates t he entire or whole system of a firms activities and tasks. Conclusion Blue ocean strategy describes that it is all about to reconstruct boundaries of market to break away from the competition and create blue oceans. This highlights the search risk that many companies struggle with. The primary challenge is to successfully and effectively identify, out of the haystack of possibilities that exist, commercially compelling blue ocean opportunities.

President Bill Clinton Essay -- William Jefferson Clinton Essays

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  While it’s practically impossible to write a research paper without referring to the scandalous side of President Bill Clinton, this research will also spotlight how excellent Bill Clinton was as a president and present interesting facts about his life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  On August 19, 1946, William Jefferson Blythe IV began his life in Hope, Arkansas. His mother was still mourning over the loss of her beloved husband who died only three months earlier in a tragic car accident. Four years later, in hopes of a better life, Virginia remarried to Roger Clinton. But as a raging alcoholic, Roger became violent with Bill and his mother. At age 14, young William had enough of the abuse. He finally stood up to his stepfather and the cruelty ceased. After gaining the respect of his father figure, Bill decided to take the last name of Clinton.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Clinton’s high school years were just as all teenagers desire. He was a popular guy with lots of friends and even then: a drive for success. Bill’s devotion to playing saxophone led him to consider a life as a professional musician. But after the opportunity to meet president JFK at the White House Rose Garden during his senior year, Bill’s previous musician dreams did a 180.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  If it hasn’t already been assumed, Clinton decided this early in life that he would dedicate himself to a life of campaign and politics. He also knew that if he wanted to succeed, he must go about it the correct way. Bill graduated with honors from Yale in 1973 and received his degree in law. The next step was getting into the field of politics in Arkansas.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  For those of you who have ever tried to enter the political race, it is obvious as to what Clinton was in for. He was devastated after being defeated in 1974 for Congress Campaign for Arkansas’ 3rd district. But the powers of devastation were no match for Clinton’s persistence. Merely three years later, Bill Clinton was elated to be elected Arkansas Attorney General in 1976. This gave him just the confidence boost he needed. In ’78, Clinton was sitting high as governor of Arkansas. At 32 years old, Clinton became the nation’s youngest governor. He failed to be re-elected for a second term, but buckled down to become governor once more four years later. He easily went on to win re-election three more times.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the midst of all this political excitement, Bill was falling deeply in love. H... ...ountries. It is possible for him to make up to $300,000 per speech. Once he straightened all of that out, Mr. Clinton allowed himself to focus on more enjoyable things. For example, he loves to travel, and does so often to see his daughter Chelsea at Oxford University. And naturally, he loves to golf: the most enjoyed sport of middle aged men, surely. It is also not rare to see Bill with a few of his buddies. Jack Nicholson, Kevin Spacey, and Anthony Hopkins are among his acquaintances. Along with his leisurely activities, he runs an active legal office in Harlem. Politics still play a major role in his life. He recently stated that â€Å"I hope within five years to be in public service full time.† Drawing a conclusion is not a difficult task, as most people feel similarly about President Clinton. Sure, he was probably the United States’ most immoral president ever, but there’s no denying he was an outstanding president. Bill took care of foreign affairs with ease, carefully examined things before making rash decisions, and was very goal oriented. He is even ranked 5th in terms of his economic management. He must have been popular considering that he was elected to a second term.

Executing Strategies in a Global Environment Essay

Federal Express, known today as FedEx was developed by Fred Smith in 1973. Mr. Smith saw need for customer to receive packages sooner than 1-3 business days; this was the norm for express mail 40 years ago (Hill & Jones, 2013). Federal Express changed the structure of air cargo industry and improves on the overnight delivery service (Hill & Jones, 2013). In this paper, it will analyze value creation frontier of FedEx, determine which four building blocks will give competitive advantage to maintain profitability, its efficiency, and examine the overall competition the global industry (Hill & Jones, 2013). Analysis of Company’s Value Creation Frontier FedEx accomplished it value creation frontier with innovation. The founder saw that there was a need for faster and more reliable express delivery service. FedEx competitors offered 1-3 day deliveries shipments, but didn’t take into consideration residential customers or businesses that would need their shipments sooner. Mr. Smith saw this need, but it couldn’t be accomplished by sharing air space on commercial flights. On commercial flights passengers were first and the space that was left was divided amongst the competitors. For his vision to be achieved he needed his own fleet of cargo jets (Hill & Jones, 2013). Federal Express founder started with the higher end of competitive advantage which is differentiation. Mr. Smith invested $91 million dollars of venture capital plus $4 million dollar of inheritance funds, which he used to purchase an aircraft company in Little Rock, Arkansas. He started using the aircraft to deliver envelopes and small packages overnight within the United States (Ecommerce, n.d.). Mr. Smith didn’t give the official name Federal Express until 1973. He brought the operation closer to home, which was Memphis, Tennessee. The business was operating out of Memphis International Airport. By this time the company owned 14 Dassault Falcon Airplanes and he employed 400 workers (Ecommerce, n.d.). The next step for Federal Express was innovation. Mr. Smith launched a direct mail advertising promotion to increase the exposure of the company. With the government loosening the airline regulations, it made it permissible for federal Express to use bigger aircrafts such as Boeing 727s and take advantage of more flexible flight schedules (Ecommerce, n.d.). In 1979 Federal Express started using a centralized computer system  to track packages, routes, weather, vehicles, and employees. A short time after, a digitally assisted dispatch system was put in place for clients to electronically request pickups (Ecommerce, n.d.). For quality and excellence Federal Express understood the client’s expectation and started tailoring their service to fit those needs. For example; the bigger clients, they started housing merchandise to make shipments upon request. Federal Express held 43 percent of the delivery transportation market, in contrast to its rival UPS in the 1990’s (Ecommerce, n.d.). In order for Federal Express to maintain above average profitability, they should concentrate on two phases; which are efficiency and quality. Federal Express has five pillars for increasing profitability which are; making personnel functions and processes more efficient, update their air fleet, convert U.S. domestic network, increase international profits, and enlarge service offerings (Annual report, 2013). The focus for Federal Express is the customer. The customers’ requests are very important to the company’s strategy to operate focused systems which function independently, compete collectively, and are managed collaboratively. Because Federal Express unique model allows them to fine tune networks without compromising service to customers, their solution continue to be superior and they can act in response to marketplace changes quickly and efficiently (Annual reports, 2013). Maintaining Edge Rivals Product Differentiation Product differentiation is the development of designing products or services to satisfy the needs of the customers. Companies maintain a competitive edge over their rivals when it creates, makes, and sell products in the same industry (Hill & Jones, 2013). Federal Express has developed an express delivery service that is better than its rivals. Their service caters not only to big and small businesses, but also residential clients. Packages are getting to their destination faster, not just in the United States, but internationally. The ability to digitally track your package from first phase to the last phase of delivery give clients’ confidence that FedEx understand their needs and it builds trust (Hill & Jones, 2013). Capacity  Control Even though non-price competition helps established industries avoid cutthroat price cutting that reduces company and industry levels of profitability, price competition does occasionally occur when excess capacity exists in an industry (Hill & Jones, 2013). When a company like Federal Express cut prices rival companies will do the same thing out of fear the price cutter will be able to sell its complete inventory, while rivals will be left with surplus of goods. In so doing, this will lead to developing price wars (Hill & Jones, 2013). Federal Express would have to develop a strategy that would help them avoid this type of problem and stay ahead of its rivals. In most cases companies have two tactical choices; each can independently try to preempt its rivals and take hold of the initiative, or the companies must jointly find indirect means of coordinating with each other so that they are all aware of the shared effects of their actions (Hill & Jones, 2013). Business Model Efficiency Assessment Federal Express unique strategy works seamlessly and simultaneously on three levels. FedEx compete collectively by standing as one brand worldwide and speaking with one voice (http://www.about.van.fedex.com). The company operates independently by focusing on their independent networks to meet distinct customers’ needs and manage collaboratively by working together to sustain loyal relations with their employees, customers, and investors (http://www.about.van.fedex.com). Each division of FedEx has created its unique niche; yet work together as a whole. FedEx Corporation provides customers and businesses worldwide a broad portfolio of transportation, e-commerce, and business services. FedEx express invented express distribution and remains the industries global leader, providing rapid, reliable, and time-definite delivery to more than 220 countries and territories connecting markets that comprise more than 90 percent of the world’s gross domestic products within one to three business days (Investors, n.d.). There is still FedEx; ground, freight, and services. The different divisions have been established independently meeting the needs in today businesses, but work together in this vital industry to be  one voice (Investors, n.d.). FedEx also continues to stay ahead by quickly adapting to the changes in technology to provide better, faster service. This will cause clients to continually use their service and believe in their reliability. Impact of Global on New Business Strategy Federal Express is a well ran operation, which doesn’t need any change to the method of how it conducts business. The only suggestion that can be made is to improve on existing business strategy. FedEx is efficient on functions and processes of staff, having an efficient air fleet, and dominate in U.S. and international services. Just by strengthen of these strategies FedEx can be more profitable over a three year period (Investor, n.d.). Enacting numerous initiatives to improve their staffing efficiency and work processes, Federal Express would accomplish the streamlining of key processes to reduce the time and resources it would require (Investor, n.d.). Prioritizing important actions and remove or defer functions that have or become redundant due to technological, operational or market driven changes. Lately, generate greater efficiencies in the global sourcing program (Investor, n.d.). By FedEx up grading older aircraft with newer planes, there would be more cost-effective and fuel-efficient aircraft, the 757 and 767 programs will create a next-generation air fleet that to a large extent reduce their operating cost (Investors, n.d.). For example, based on a 750 nautical mile round trip, our trip costs will improve by: up to 20% for the B757 versus A310-200 and up to 30% for the B767 versus MD10-30 (Investors, n.d.). Applying new technology and processes will advance flight and crew scheduling. Adapting to pickup and delivery operations to maximize on road productivity will cause for quicker and reliable service (Investors, n.d.). Merging of facilities and stations will be more cost effective. Refining aircraft maintenance processes will improve fuel efficiency for their aircraft and vehicle fleet. Improvements like these can be done with no compromising the exceptional service quality their customers have come to expect (Investors, n.d.). With Federal Express expanding on their business; they capture growth from all parts of the global cargo market, including priority, economy, ocean and air forwarding, and critical inventory logistics focusing on (Investors, n.d.): Growing FedEx  International Priority and expanding FedEx international Transitioning FedEx International Economy shipments to third party line on certain lanes. Increasing freight forwarding and supply chain capabilities for new vertical like healthcare. Leveraging European expansion for greater densities and lower costs. With FedEx concentrating on delivering the solutions for the right customers at the right price, they will continue to strive for the right solutions in the market place. By so doing they may hold on to the majority of their annual rate increases, utilize the revenue management committee to optimize yield, market share, and profitability growth (Investors, n.d.). May have to drop less profitable accounts, and then develop on small to m edium customer base. Also leveraging residential revenue opportunities for their delivery managers, over time should allow for an even more dominate business (Investors, n.d.). Conclusion Federal Express has changed the face of the air cargo industry and overnight nights delivery service (Hill & Jones, 2013). The business model that FedEx put together for their company relied on the right strategy and the right people to implement the vision and the mission for the success of this company. When a business follows the strategy, makes adjustments as needed, is willing to take risk, and invest in technology; you have a formula for success.

11 Reactions Essay

9/11 Reactions Essay 9/11 Reactions Essay Visual Analysis Phonchanok Pitayasarid Baker College Firefighters put their lives on a line every single day. They took an oath of taking a chance that might cut short their lives when they placed themselves in harm’s way in the public’s service. In figure 11.7 on page 451 in the Composition book shows firefighters in the World Trade Center Wreckage. Doing what they do make them a hero. They shows â€Å"courage, self-sacrifice, and also vulnerability of the human effort in the face of such colossal destruction† (Composition, 2012, p.451). On September 11, 2001 the horrific tragedy happened in the United States. 19 militants associated with Islamic extremist hijacked four airlines and carried out suicide attacks against targets in United States. Two planes were flown into the towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, the third plane hit the Pentagon just outside Washington, D.C., and the fourth plane crashed in a filed in Pennsylvania. The attackers were Islamic terrorist from Saudi Arabia and several other Arab nations. The horror in New York took a catastrophic turn for the worse when the south tower of the World Trade Center collapsed in a massive cloud of dust and smoke. Close to 3,000 people died in the World Trade Center, including a staggering 343 firefighters and paramedics, 23 New York City police officers and 37 Port Authority police officers who were struggling to complete an evacuation of the buildings and save the office workers that were trapped on

How to Write a Speech in Criminal Justice †Complete and Detailed Instructions for You

How to Write a Speech in Criminal Justice – Complete and Detailed Instructions for You Writing speeches is an important albeit rarely discussed aspect of criminal justice courses. If you study this discipline, it means that you have at least some likelihood of addressing the court of law at some point in future. Therefore, you should get at least basic understanding of what it means, and what is expected of you. Preparing your own speeches and delivering them in front of an audience perform exactly this function – it gives you practical experience of proving your point to an audience that probably has strong convictions of its own. Even if you know the subject well and have no problems with writing assignments on it, speechwriting is likely to offer you some difficulties. The thing is, it is different from most other academic texts because it occupies a position somewhere between the written and the spoken word. Although you write your speech down, you should always keep it in mind that it is meant to be spoken, not read. Therefore, you should structure it so that you can effortlessly deliver it and your audience can easily understand what you say. In this guide, you will find everything you need to know before you start writing a speech of your own. It may be hard to begin with, but if you follow these guidelines, you will soon succeed. How to Write a Speech in Criminal Justice: Choosing a Rewarding Topic You may have to give a speech as a part of a case study, and in this case, you will get a ready-made topic. However, usually professors give students a fair amount of freedom. The right choice of topic can make a lot of difference for the overall success of your speech. 1. Draw from Your Experience The primary purpose of a speech is to click with your audience, and the best way to do it is to tell them about something nobody but you can tell. If you have any personal experience of dealing with the justice system, or have a friend or relative who had such an encounter, you can put it in the foundation of your story. 2. Choose Something of Personal Interest Again, there is a lot of difference between talking about something you are passionate about and delivering a speech just to check a box. Think of a topic related to criminal justice and develop it further. 3. Take a Look at Recent News What mass media certainly have no shortage of are reports of crimes and all things crime-related. Go through the current news and see if you can find a relevant topic of immediate interest. 4. Brainstorm If you already have a broadly defined topic, narrow it down and specify it further. Brainstorming can help you in it. There are many popular brainstorming techniques, such as: Freewriting. Set a timer and start writing down all the ideas related to the subject that come into your head. Do not try to shape them into definite topics and do not care if they are good, bad or silly. Set quantity over quality and do not stop until the timer runs out; Word association. Write down your broad topic and think what other words or concepts you associate with it. Sometimes the best speech topics come from unusual pairing of subjects; Mind mapping. Write down your main topic at the center of a page and start writing associated words, ideas, subtopics and subcategories all around it, connecting them to the hub. Then repeat the same with them and see the tree of your associations grow in all directions. As it takes a visual form, you will better understand how to connect seemingly unrelated subcategories and come up with an interesting topic. 5. Know What Topics to Avoid Not all topics are suitable for delivering a speech. Your success depends to a large degree on your knowledge of which of them to avoid: Overly complex topics. If you deliver a speech in front of class, it is by definition a short one – after all, your professor wants to give each of his/her students a chance to talk. Most likely, you will have very limited time to cover the topic. If you cannot get your point across without detailed explanations, charts and diagrams, better choose something simpler; Controversial issues. Unless talking on a debatable topic is the part of your assignment, avoid talking about anything too contentious, like gun control or racial profiling. Especially if you do not know your professor’s stance on things – although he/she is supposed to be objective, you never know what can put you in his/her bad books; Clichà ©d and self-evident subjects. If the topic of your speech can be boiled down to a platitude like ‘Society has to do something about drugs’, ‘Domestic violence is bad’, ‘Penitentiary system is inefficient when it comes to reforming criminals’, ask yourself, would you personally be interested in listening about it? If not, choose something different. Here are some examples to use as a reference: Why Our Victim Support Programs Should Be Reorganized; Hate Crimes: Why Current Legislature Does not Properly Address the Problem; Why Statistics of Domestic Violence Have Little to Do with Reality and What We Have to Do to Make a Difference; Cybercrime: New Challenges for the Justice System in the New Era; Wrongful Convictions: Is There Any Way to Undo Their Results? Gangs and Gang Crime: Why We Need a Different Approach in Dealing with it. How to Write a Speech in Criminal Justice: Preparations to Writing A speech is a relatively short text, and you are likely to spend more time doing preparatory work and polishing the text than doing the writing per se. Do not scrimp on effort at this stage. 1. Research the Topic Even if you think you know enough about the subject matter, spend some time digging further. Make sure you have the latest and the most relevant information. Check if the sources you use are up to date and credible. Be very selective with the sources you use, especially if you mention them in the speech – you have little time to spend on potentially inaccurate information. 2. Write Your Thesis Statement A thesis statement is the main idea of your speech expressed in a single short sentence. Make sure that it: Is declarative; Uses specific wording and avoids vagueness and ambiguity; Considers the audience you address and the occasion; Is a complete sentence; Expresses a single idea. If your thesis statement does not meet all these requirements, you have to narrow it down further. 3. Write an Outline An outline is something between a plan and a barebones version of your speech. Due to the small size of your average speech, an outline is not going to be much smaller than the final product, so pay special attention to the structure and connections between sections. Decide how you want the speech to go, jot down the sections you will use and their contents. A typical speech structure is as follows (although you can get creative and do things differently): Introduction. You introduce the problem and grasp the audience’s attention. You can do it in a variety of ways: by starting with an interesting story (especially if it is seemingly unrelated to the subject, and you then suddenly make your point clear with a single witty remark), by introducing a thought-provoking fact or statistic or making a shocking statement; Main objective. It is your thesis statement followed by the mention of your experience to give credibility to what you will say afterwards; Main part. Here you try to get your main message through. Single out a few points supporting your idea and introduce them one by one, along with the evidence to back them up. Do not mix them up or go back and forth from one to another. Make the structure logical and prepare the way you connect these points beforehand; Conclusion. A closing statement that sums up what has been said before and ends the speech on a powerful note. 4. Prepare Strong Content This is what will make your speech persuasive and memorable, its strong points around which you will build the rest. These can be: Relevant personal experiences; Quotations; Factual and statistical evidence; Carefully prepared key statements. Write down where you will use them and intersperse them across the speech for maximum effect. How to Write a Speech in Criminal Justice: The Most Important Writing Tips 1. Calculate the Word Count Professors normally tell you how long you will have to talk, not how many words your speech should be. Try to convert the length of a speech into word count. There are online tools that do this, but the speech tempo differs from person to person, and you should not take their results at face value. Better take a text, read it aloud at your normal speed and measure the time using a stopwatch. 2. Write Conversationally You will have to deliver the speech, so consider it from the get-go. Make sure it rolls easily off your tongue and the audience has no trouble following it. Use relatively short and simple sentence without multiple clauses. Avoid using legalese whenever possible – your audience is supposed to understand it, but simpler is usually better. 3. Be Exact and Specific Criminal justice is a discipline that deals with sensitive subjects and requires complete adherence to facts. Consider this when choosing your words, expressions and supporting evidence. Back your points with facts and statistics whenever possible and avoid using vague phrases and appeals to emotions. 4. Avoid Pronouns In written text, the reader can always go back and see what a pronoun refers to if he/she does not understand it. In a speech, it is impossible, and you risk confusing your audience if you use pronouns too liberally. It is alright to introduce them occasionally, but make sure you refer to things by their names whenever possible. 5. Repeat Important Words Repetition is a powerful method of getting your point across. Choose a word you want to emphasize and repeat it several times throughout the speech, focusing the audience’s attention on it (e.g., by always following it with a pause). For example, if you talk about societal dangers of false convictions, you can choose the word â€Å"innocence† and introduce it emphatically at crucial points of your speech. 6. Simplify wherever Possible Your job is to drive your point home, and the fewer and simpler words you use to do it, the better. After you finish your speech, reread it and cut any superfluous words and expressions. How to Write a Speech in Criminal Justice: What to Do After the Speech Is Done After you have finished writing your speech, there is plenty more work to do. 1. Review the Speech Read your speech multiple times, both to yourself and out loud. Texts often feel very different when spoken than when read, and you may suddenly discover that a passage that seemed to be perfectly normal is not as good as you thought it to be. Check if sections connect logically and if the speech maintains a stable pacing throughout. See if you backed up all your points equally. If you find anything lacking, make corrections. 2. Decide whether to Use Visual Aids Speeches are often accompanied with slides and other visual aids, and they can become an integral part of your delivery. However, some people believe that using them breaks up their connection with the audience and disrupts their focus. Decide whether using them fits your delivery style and which tools, if any, you are going to use. 3. Make Notes Jot down the most important points of your speech so that you can refresh it in your memory just by looking at these notes. You are not supposed to read your speech, but taking glances at the notes is alright. 4. Practice Practice delivering your speech. See if you manage to fit it into the allotted amount of time and cut/add if necessary. Have somebody listen to you delivering it and ask for his/her opinion. 5. Memorize the Opening and the Conclusion You do not have to memorize your entire speech – in fact, trying to do so will make you too dependent on your text, and if you forget something you can lose your train of thought altogether. So, it is better to make the main part flexible. However, the opening and the conclusion are very important for the overall impression, and ad hoc changes to them can prove undesirable. We hope this guide has clarified the most difficult aspects of writing a speech in criminal justice, and now you will be able to write one without a hitch!

Analysis of The Bicycle and its Role in Society

Analysis of The Bicycle and its Role in Society Not only are Parents responsible for providing food and shelter for their Children, but they should also help them to develop their mental and physical condition. A Bicycle, a vehicle having two wheels one behind the other, influences a child's physical, intellectual and social development. It also can improve the quality of life. Riding a bicycle will provide children with health and other benefits. A bicycle can save them money in gas and also decrease the rate of pollution First of all, riding a bicycle requires movement of the entire body. It strengthens leg muscles. Moreover, it not only requires stability and balance, but it also develops coordination. It also requires stamina, and therefore keeps a child's heart and lungs strong. A moderate amount of physical activity, like a short cycle-commute, can protect against health problems like obesity, cancer, mature-onset diabetes, and osteoporosis.Next, owning a bike stimulates the intellectual development of a child; first, the ch ild becomes interested in sports, especially in cycling.English: child on a bicycle

Assignment 7 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Assignment 7 - Research Paper Example Additionally, the continued monitoring of care will aid the medical practitioner in understanding where to start and in checking whether the improvements are sustained. Along the course of the fall prevention program, the medical practitioner will need to evaluate the fall rates taking place at the hospital as well as the effectiveness of the fall prevention strategy. The quality improvement model should entail the regular monitoring of the medical outcomes of the hospital; the indicator is the number of falls per 1000 patient bed days. The second area to be monitored is the care processes implemented; the indicators to be captured include the factors fueling fall risks and the actions taken to reduce a patient’s risk of falling. The third area to be checked is the infrastructure needed to support the best practices being sought, and the indicators to be captured include the participation of the preventive team in an interdisciplinary fashion (Oldrich, Kalman & Nigolian, 2012). In developing the measures of tracking the variables of fall rates and the effectiveness of fall prevention strategies under implementation, the medical practitioner and the hospital, in general, will need to address two important questions. These questions include 1) which way can enable the parties to measure the rates of falls and fall-related injuries and 2) which way will enable the parties to measure the effectiveness of the fall-prevention strategies implemented? Throughout the process of implementing the fall prevention program, the hospital and the staffs overseeing the fall prevention program will need to check the following outcome areas: Whether incident reports were revised, in a manner that allowed the medical personnel to cover more specific areas in care delivery, particularly the areas that are considered to be factors increasing or

Natural Law and Legal Positivism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Natural Law and Legal Positivism - Essay Example Natural law applies to theories of ethics, politics, civil law, and theories of religious morality. Natural law as it applies to the theories of ethics, seeks to establish a definition for features of moral theory as nature dictates them. However, natural law theory does not recount on the history of the natural law development thought. Natural law theory finds its definition in ethics (Murphy 654). Any moral theory that relates to the natural law theory belongs to Aquinas. Every ethics analogy that includes material on natural law theory is definitely by Aquinas. It is therefore arguable that Aquinas natural law theory is the centre stage of a natural law position. The theory of natural law ascribes the origin of law to the supreme God. Natural law is a divine providence that originates from God himself. Natural law is therefore part of the theory of divine providence. At the point of view of human role as a recipient of this God's provision, natural law is a product of the principles of practical rationality (Waluchow 179). These are the principles that set judgment of the human actions either as reasonable or as unreasonable. Natural law is a preeminent of the theory of practical rationality. Practicing natural law is a participation in the eternal law. Eternal law is the rational plan that presents the ordinance of all creation. Therefore, natural law attains its quality as law from this base. The practice of natural law binds naturally. To learn natural law does not call for human methods of instruction (Waluchow 179). Humans learn the precepts of natural law naturally. Natural law judges between good and evil, maintaining that, people should do only good things and avoid the evil ones at all cost. Natural law is unique in itself in that, it does not fall into the contemporary categories for moral theories. On interesting feature of natural law is that, it is hard to tell when an ethics analogy ceases to be a natural! Natural laws are intact and cannot be broken or enforced. On the other hand, legal positivism is the theory that maintains that the existence and the content of law depend sharply on the social facts but not on its merits (George 31). The theory does not state that the law's merits are incomprehensible, insignificant, or marginal to the philosophy of law. It rather discourages the thought that the law's merits can determine whether the law or legal systems exist. The impact of any law in any particular place depends on the social standards that are in recognition as authoritative by the officials of the law. For instance, if the legislature enacts, judicial system decide, or social customs declare an act to be a law, then it becomes a law. According to legal positivism, law is anything that the society in question posits. Therefore, law is a social construction. Law is a command of the sovereign under the support of the force (George 31). However, legal positivism is not a confinement of law. The statement that existence of law depends on facts rather than its merits is a thesis about the relation amid laws, facts and merits, but not a thesis about the individual relata (Waluchow 179). Legal positivism is unique in that, it is not contradictory to natural law's moral doctrines and objective morality set in human nature. In order to

Re-victimisation of Holocaust Survivors in the Contemporary Filmic Essay

Re-victimisation of Holocaust Survivors in the Contemporary Filmic Landscape - Essay Example .. ever cut me as sharply, deeply, instantaneously† (Shandler 1999, 212). Susan Sontag reveals in this statement that Holocaust victims are chronically re-victimised by the manner they are represented in films. This paper is an attempt to discuss Sontag’s argument in relation to the documentary film Night and Fog. Night and Fog by Alain Resnais Night and Fog uses a French storyteller alongside contemporary perspectives and archival film recordings of the concentration camps. The documentary film also hosts several still photographs (Knobler 2008). A major issue explored in the film is the opposition between the desolated, wretched camps at present and the different atrocities they witnessed in the 1940s. A secondary issue is the manner in which the atrocious Nazis were not inherently distinct from other human beings in most cases. The documentary film is sketchy, and not strictly sequential. It opens up with vivid footages of present-day camp sites, a harmless environmen t populated with rubbles, abandoned buildings, and wild flowers. An unforgettable episode at the onset displays how the entry to the concentration camp looked like to a World captive (Aufderheide 2007). With a measured narrative style, the initial part of the film progresses from the first instances of Nazi power to arrest all over Europe, and the appalling realities of camp existence. Sprinkled with gruesome images from the 1940s are several photographs of present-day camps. They look like threadbare artefacts of a historic period. The last part of the documentary film emphasises the concentration camps as places of inhumane events and mass slaughter. Himmler then appears to readdress the intention of the concentration camps (Shandler 1999). The horrendous images of mass extermination are documented and shown in various ways: containers loaded with victims’ heads, partially incinerated remains in funeral pyres, and signs of struggles and pain on the inner entrails of the gas chambers. A haunting aerial photograph of a concentration camp in the 1940s confers a ghostly feeling of the immensity of the whole venture (Aufderheide 2007). The documentary film ends with images of the concentration camps being freed, and the perpetrators facing legal proceedings. The narrator afterwards informs the audience that this kind of inhumane desires and actions persist until now. Night and Fog fuses a controlled narrative style with memorable vivid photographs and scenes. Transitioning from archival footage to the current condition of these places of dread is remarkably successful. However, in spite of its power and influence, the documentary film raises a number of dilemmas. The general premise that resulted in the concentration camps is overlooked. Hence, the act of genocide presents a more methodical, but never an exceptional, concern for this subject matter. Susan Sontag, on a similar vein, sees this whole enterprise in a more reflective and scholarly way. Looking at Night and Fog through Susan Sontag’s Arguments It is the argument of this paper that there will always be a moment in the existence of a civilisation which will endure a tremendous predicament, where in there emerges a discourse of traumatic memory. The relevance of Susan Sontag’s argument to Night and Fog overcomes the factual allusion to specific experience of

Writing for professional practice Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Writing for professional practice - Assignment Example Bilby has countless desirability, for guests visiting daily, weekenders and longer-term guests. Recently, the financial value of tourism has totally begun to be respected and treasured. Studies and administration of this resource is currently a foremost apprehension for all stakeholders. According to the argument and controversy over the latest hospital, BRTA has concluded that to carry out an evaluation on tourism in Bilby. The aspects that make Bilby a tourist center include the regional events available in town that make tourist enjoy the Bibly district throughout the entire years, for example, availability of hotels and geographical features. The visitors enjoy the following aspects in the town; walking tour, tours of Agostini’s vineyard, monthly organic farmer’s market, material design special sales, which happen half yearly. Furthermore, other features include the Street life Carnival that occurs every week, and the Autumn Gold Festival that occurs in the month of March during the long weekend. Another aspects that attract the visitors in the society include the film locations fir city stresses country pleasures and the shopping activity. Many shopping sections such as supermarkets and malls have everything necessary to make tourism interesting and captivating. The town is reported to have great natural wonders, for example, the naturally protected in the valley that has magnificent plateaus and mountains overlooking the town. The town council is also reported to have future projects that are planned to be accomplished to improve the tourism department in the town in the future. Some of the plans include; the boardwalks for the graveyard, bird hide observatory over wetlands and further wind farm on Bilby Plateau, extension to the museum and lastly the leisure centre that will create the promotional opportunities (Harris, Williams and Griffin, 2012). Julia Rudd, CEO of the Bendalong Regional Tourism Authority (BRTA) and other stakeholders

System enhancement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

System enhancement - Essay Example re cases when the previous ticket is nicely documented, the engineer is even able to find troubleshooting commands as well as specifics on how to solve the customer’s issue. Escalation engineers are usually the best resort for the TAC engineer but, given the ratio of escalation persons to TAC engineers, a TAC engineer will ONLY reach out to his escalations when he doesn’t know the answer, or is unable to locate a Cisco document that would solve his issue and is not able to find a similar previous ticket or at least a previous ticket with valuable and relevant information. Topic tool, however, is at the TAC engineers’ disposal at any time and readily available with a tremendous amount of information. The real challenge is being able to search for the information you need and be able to find the answers you want on topic in the shortest time possible. The goal is not only to solve a case but to solve it quickly. Experience has shown that the more information added to the topic database and the shorter the time required to find that information equals the shorter the resolution time. This enhanced the overall customer’s experience with TAC. In some cases, the customer is a person with more experience than the TAC engineer himself but they still call in with a firm belief that their issue will be resolved because they know that a TAC engineer has the resources and will be able to find the answer from a previous ticket, filed notice, or a documented bug, all of which reside on our topic database. Out of all the resources available for TAC engineers there is consensus among TAC engineers that they get most of the answers to resolve their cases from the information found on the topic tool. The goal of this proposal is to make topic search a richer tool by adding more information to it, hence enabling TAC engineers to find solutions to a wider spectrum of issues. Based on my investigation, research and discussions with other engineers I found that an engineer

Electrical Rotary Actuators Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Electrical Rotary Actuators - Essay Example Actuators are devices used for driving various types of objects to obtain a desired amount of displacement. This displacement may be of a linear or rotary nature. The driving force of an actuator may be generated by either an electrical, hydraulic or pneumatic input. The rotary actuators discussed here, are concerned with applications where a rotary displacement with a desired angle of rotation is required, and use electrical energy to generate the driving force. Construction: The basic components of an electric rotary actuator are a motor and a reduction gearbox mechanism. Electric rotary actuators drive components rotationally via electromagnetic power from a motor. The reduction gear translates the speed and torque of the motor to the required scale. Suitable damping and spring return mechanisms are also built in. The rotational element can either be a shaft or a table. Circular shafts often include keyways, while tables provide a bolting pattern to mount other components. They usually provide control and indexing capabilities to allow multiple position stops along strokes. Other auxiliary components include return springs, seals, limit switches for both ends of rotation span, etc. A simple rotary actuator model using a DC motor is considered for the study and analysis of the device. The DC motor directly provides a rotary motion. For practical application, this rotary displacement is transmitted into suitable transitional motion by attaching an output coupling mechanism, consisting of wheels or drums and cables. The figure 1 shows the electrical circuit of the armature, and the free body diagram of the rotor of the DC motor.Electrical circuit of Armature Free body diagram of rotor Figure 1. In the electrical circuit of the armature, the resistance of the armature coil is represented by R in ohms, and the inductance is presented by L in henrys. The input source is shown as a voltage V. The back EMF produced, is shown as a voltage source, which opposes the input source. For the rotor free body diagram, the torque developed is T and rotation angle is . The effect of the moment of inertia of the rotor and damping method employed is also taken into the account. The damping is provided to avoid large overshoots of the rotational displacement. For the purpose of sample study, the following values of other parameters are initially assumed as: 1. Moment of Inertia of the rotor, ( J ) = 3.2284E-6 kg m^2 / s^2. 2. Damping ratio of the mechanical system, ( b ) = 3.5077E-6 Nms 3.

Writing for professional practice Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Writing for professional practice - Assignment Example Bilby has countless desirability, for guests visiting daily, weekenders and longer-term guests. Recently, the financial value of tourism has totally begun to be respected and treasured. Studies and administration of this resource is currently a foremost apprehension for all stakeholders. According to the argument and controversy over the latest hospital, BRTA has concluded that to carry out an evaluation on tourism in Bilby. The aspects that make Bilby a tourist center include the regional events available in town that make tourist enjoy the Bibly district throughout the entire years, for example, availability of hotels and geographical features. The visitors enjoy the following aspects in the town; walking tour, tours of Agostini’s vineyard, monthly organic farmer’s market, material design special sales, which happen half yearly. Furthermore, other features include the Street life Carnival that occurs every week, and the Autumn Gold Festival that occurs in the month of March during the long weekend. Another aspects that attract the visitors in the society include the film locations fir city stresses country pleasures and the shopping activity. Many shopping sections such as supermarkets and malls have everything necessary to make tourism interesting and captivating. The town is reported to have great natural wonders, for example, the naturally protected in the valley that has magnificent plateaus and mountains overlooking the town. The town council is also reported to have future projects that are planned to be accomplished to improve the tourism department in the town in the future. Some of the plans include; the boardwalks for the graveyard, bird hide observatory over wetlands and further wind farm on Bilby Plateau, extension to the museum and lastly the leisure centre that will create the promotional opportunities (Harris, Williams and Griffin, 2012). Julia Rudd, CEO of the Bendalong Regional Tourism Authority (BRTA) and other stakeholders

Electrical Rotary Actuators Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Electrical Rotary Actuators - Essay Example Actuators are devices used for driving various types of objects to obtain a desired amount of displacement. This displacement may be of a linear or rotary nature. The driving force of an actuator may be generated by either an electrical, hydraulic or pneumatic input. The rotary actuators discussed here, are concerned with applications where a rotary displacement with a desired angle of rotation is required, and use electrical energy to generate the driving force. Construction: The basic components of an electric rotary actuator are a motor and a reduction gearbox mechanism. Electric rotary actuators drive components rotationally via electromagnetic power from a motor. The reduction gear translates the speed and torque of the motor to the required scale. Suitable damping and spring return mechanisms are also built in. The rotational element can either be a shaft or a table. Circular shafts often include keyways, while tables provide a bolting pattern to mount other components. They usually provide control and indexing capabilities to allow multiple position stops along strokes. Other auxiliary components include return springs, seals, limit switches for both ends of rotation span, etc. A simple rotary actuator model using a DC motor is considered for the study and analysis of the device. The DC motor directly provides a rotary motion. For practical application, this rotary displacement is transmitted into suitable transitional motion by attaching an output coupling mechanism, consisting of wheels or drums and cables. The figure 1 shows the electrical circuit of the armature, and the free body diagram of the rotor of the DC motor.Electrical circuit of Armature Free body diagram of rotor Figure 1. In the electrical circuit of the armature, the resistance of the armature coil is represented by R in ohms, and the inductance is presented by L in henrys. The input source is shown as a voltage V. The back EMF produced, is shown as a voltage source, which opposes the input source. For the rotor free body diagram, the torque developed is T and rotation angle is . The effect of the moment of inertia of the rotor and damping method employed is also taken into the account. The damping is provided to avoid large overshoots of the rotational displacement. For the purpose of sample study, the following values of other parameters are initially assumed as: 1. Moment of Inertia of the rotor, ( J ) = 3.2284E-6 kg m^2 / s^2. 2. Damping ratio of the mechanical system, ( b ) = 3.5077E-6 Nms 3.

Compare the short story Flowers for Algernon Essay Example for Free

Compare the short story Flowers for Algernon Essay The differences between Flowers for Algernon as a short story and as a movie represent the differences between the two media. In my essay I am going to show, from the differences between the short story and the movie, the differences between the two media, coming up with the conclusion that the short story is the better medium by which to tell this story. One of the most significant differences between the short story and the movie is the developing of Charlies character in the story. In the book for example, is nothing said about his family, whereas in the movie is told a lot about his childhood and in the end he also sees his mother. When we see Charlie in the movie identifying himself as lonely, he becomes a more described character than he is in the book. This shows the difference that in a short story we have to develop a character ourselves, but in a movie only throughout one picture of a person we already get a description of this character we would never have got in a short story. In the movie we have seen the information about Charlie we immediately get it supported by information about his family. There are also different kinds of pathos in short story and movie. With the identification of Charlie Ms Kinnian and indirectly Algernon with the loneliness in the movie, they identify themselves as sad. This makes the movie much more pathetic than the short story, because in the short story only the identifying between Charlie and Algernon takes place, which is much less pathetic. What also support the pathos in the movie is the whole emotion around the relationship between Charlie and Ms Kinnian. This could represent the fact that a movie has to be more emotional than a short story, so that the people want to see it. But it could also show that someone who is making a movie has to bring in more pathos in his story, because he shows the story omniscient. That means he has not the chance to tell the story in diary-form and so directly out of the brain of the main character which is much more personal. With short story as diary-form you can see everything through the eyes of the diary writer. To compare the roles of the doctors, doing the operation, also brings up a big difference. In the movie there is no Dr. Nemur, who plays a big role in  the short story. In the short story Dr. Nemur represents the scientific world, which is not always human. Dr. Strauss plays the good, personal and human guy, which also cares about Charlies feelings and his psychology. Now in the movie there is only Dr. Strauss, who then has to represent the scientific world but also has to be the good guy. So two flat characters from the short story can be put into one character in the movie. Because Dr. Strauss is representing two characters, he becomes a grotesque person. This happens, because he has to represent a scientific society, which does not have ethics as basis but also has to represent a world of humanity and ethics, which in the short story represent Dr. Nemur. In my opinion the short story is the more successful medium by which to tell the story, because the movie creates you through a lot of emotions one specific opinion about what happens to Charlie. Whereas in the short story you have more chance to create your own opinion about the story, which is a very important thing in stories but also in your life.

My Sisters Keeper by Jodi Picoult | Summary and Analysis

My Sisters Keeper by Jodi Picoult | Summary and Analysis Anna Transplant Kidney Characters Anna Fitzgerald Anna is a 13-year-old girl from a middle-class family in Rhode Island. Her father, Brian, is a firefighter, and her mother, Sara, is a housewife who used to be a lawyer. Her two older siblings are Jesse and Kate. Jesse is an adult who has had a troubled past and lives in an apartment at the family house. Kate is 16 and has recuperated from leukemia, but the treatments have hurt her kidneys, and she needs a kidney transplant. Anna is a natural choice for the donor because she was conceived to help Kate medically and has made donations to her throughout her life. Anna seeks help from a lawyer, Campbell Alexander, to gain control over her body so she can stop being a donor to Kate. Anna is more mature than her age and often ponders deep questions about her sisters illness and her role in it. Anna struggles with her decisions, and even though she has her outbursts, she is very close to her sister, and at the hearing, she admits that it was Kate who made her decide to instigate the suit. What seemed to be a selfish act of a child was really the love of a sister. Although Kates illness has prevented her from having a normal life, Anna is close to Kate and the rest of her family. She is on the opposite side from her mother in the case, but they are still a close mother and daughter. Her father tries to look after her as well as Kate, and she bonds with Jesse because they both feel like they dont fit in. Annas business relationship with Campbell grows into a more personal one. She is with him in the wreck that ultimately kills her. She does donate the kidney while dying and at Campbells request. At the hearing, she stood up for herself and her sister and ended up saving her sisters life, anyway. Anna, who had always felt invisible in her family, ends up being a heroine. Campbell Alexander Campbell is the lawyer Anna Fitzgerald asks to represent her in her lawsuit against her parents. He seems cold and calculating at first by being single-minded about Annas case and pandering to the media. He has a guide dog, but he will not explain the animals purpose. He makes jokes when people ask him about it. His softer side is revealed through Julia, Annas guardian ad litem, and the flashbacks to their teen romance. He is the product of a wealthy background with parents who are shallow. His epilepsy and, therefore, the reason for the dog, is revealed in court. Although he wins the case, he feels for both sides and when faced with deciding to donate Annas organs, he makes sure Kate is the kidney recipient. He left Julia all those years ago because he did not want her to have to deal with his condition, but Julia chooses to stay with him. He marries her. Sara Fitzgerald Sara is a lawyer turned housewife. As Brians wife and Kate, Jesse, and Annas mother, she does everything she can to keep her family together. She is close to her sister, Suzanne, who is a career woman. She wants Suzanne to be her rescuer, and she wants Anna to be Kates rescuer. She is totally focused on Kates illness and wants to try every treatment possible. She either ignores Jesse or gets angry with him. It is her idea to get pregnant with Anna and for Anna to make donations. She is shocked when Anna sues her and Brian. Her temper and devotion to Kate make her a worthy adversary to Campbell in the courtroom. At first, Sara can not understand why Anna is doing this and estranges herself from Brian, but after all the facts are revealed at the hearing, she understands the conflicts involved and how Anna is her own person who can make her own choices and that Kate can make her own choices, too. She and Brian become a stronger couple, and she makes peace with Anna before her death. She was shattered by Annas death and hoped for her return. Through her family, she healed. Brian Fitzgerald Brian is a dependable husband to Sara and father to Kate, Jesse, and Anna. He is a firefighter who loves his job. His hobby is astronomy, and he makes astronomical references that can relate to his own life. When Anna sues him and his wife, he is surprised but wants to support Anna. He moves her into the fire station so she can have some distance from the home situation. This puts a strain on Brian and Saras marriage, and they just talk about the medical issues. His decision to testify for Anna at the hearing does not help matters. At the hearing, however, he changes his mind and wants Anna to donate. Brian is really conflicted on the matter. He is not only a rescue worker; he likes to rescue everyone around him, and in this case, he cannot. Even though his sister-in-law Suzanne can help the family financially, he wants to be the provider. He is the only one who learns Jesse is the arsonist and sets him on the right path. He grows closer to his wife as they learn how the medical issu es have overshadowed their marriage. He develops a drinking problem after Annas death but conquers it. Jesse Fitzgerald Jesse is the oldest child in the Fitzgerald family. After his sister is diagnosed with leukemia as a toddler, he is still a child himself and often has to give up events for Kate. After Annas birth, he feels useless because he is the sibling that cannot help. He acts out in school and is on a downward spiral into drugs, alcohol, stealing, and arson as he grows up. He tries to project the rebel image around his family, Julia, and Campbell, but his actions show his softer side. He donates platelets to Kate anonymously. He helps Anna out by taking her to the lawyers office and when visiting Kate. Brian finds out Jesse is the arsonist, and Jesse has a breakthrough. He plays with fire because he can control it. Fire is a theme in the book, and Jesse shows the negative side of fire. He becomes a police officer and wins an award. He transforms himself from a destroyer to a rescuer. Julia Romano Julia is the guardian ad litem assigned to represent Anna in the hearing. She has to make a report about which side she supports. She was a rebel as a teenager from a large, poor family and has turned into a responsible adult. She is close to her twin sister. Close sisterly relationships permeate the book, including Anna and Kates and Sara and Suzannes. She had a romance with Annas lawyer, Campbell Alexander, as a teenager despite their class differences. She was hurt when Campbell abandoned her. As she works with him on Annas case, she is attracted to him even though she tries to resist it. She is good with Anna and Kate because she talks to them like they are real teenagers. At the hearing, she is unable to pick a side. She finally learns why Campbell left her after he has a seizure at the hearing. When she finds out he has epilepsy, she refuses to abandon him. They get married. Kate Fitzgerald Kate is diagnosed with leukemia as a toddler. When her brother, Jesse, does not match her for bone marrow donation, their mother Sara has the idea to get pregnant with a baby who is a genetic match for Kate. Anna is born, and she donates to Kate on several occasions. Kate struggles with being a normal teenager and having cancer because her appearance is affected, and her first boyfriend had cancer and died. At 16, Kate is cancer free, but the treatments have affected her kidneys, and she needs a kidney transplant. It is assumed Anna will be the donor, but she files a lawsuit to gain control over her body so she can stop donating. Anna reveals at the hearing that Kate was suicidal and urged her not to donate a kidney. Kate wanted her sister to be free of obligations to her. The judge rules for Anna, but after Anna dies in a wreck, Kate gets Annas kidney. She recovers and becomes a dance teacher. She had told Julia she wanted to be a ballerina because she could have control over her bo dy. Duracell Dan He is the homeless man Jesse bribes to keep his arson materials. He is with Jesse at one of his fires and tells Jesse a homeless man is in the burning building. This forces Jesse to save the man. Suzanne Crofton Suzanne is Saras older sister. She is a single, career woman who lives a different life than Sara. She is a support during Kates illness and even tries to help financially. Vern Stackhouse Vern is a sheriff and friend of the Fitzgerald family. He serves Sara with papers related to Annas lawsuit. He is around during the hearing and provides assistance to the family and Campbell. Isobel Romano Isobel is Julias identical twin sister and roommate. She had a bad breakup and cautions Julia against Campbell. Toward the end, Isobel and Campbell seem to come to an understanding. Objects/Places Providence Hospital This is where Kate is diagnosed and has her treatments and other stays. Anna is also a patient here as a donor. Her birth and death occur here. The Fitzgerald House This is the home of the Fitzgeralds where Brian, Sara, Kate, and Anna live. Jesse lives in an adjoining apartment. The Fire Station This is where Brian works and where he and Anna live to give Anna some distance from her mother and the case. The rooftop is a favorite place to watch the stars. The Locket Brian gives the locket to Anna as a child after one of her donations. It is a thank you present for helping Kate. Thirteen-year-old Anna sells it at a pawnshop to raise money for attorney fees. The Courthouse This is where the hearing is. Campbell and Annas secrets are revealed here. Campbell Alexanders Office Anna first meets Campbell here to initiate the lawsuit. Dr. Chances Office This is the office of the oncologist that diagnoses and treats Kate. The idea for Annas conception begins here. It is also where Annas donations are suggested. Duracell Dans Hideaway It is an underpass where a homeless man lives. He stashes the materials Jesse uses for arson. Jesses Apartment The apartment is part of the Fitzgerald house. From items in the apartment and other clues, Brian figures out that Jesse is the arsonist. This is where he confronts his son. The Wheeler School The Wheeler School is the private high school where Campbell and Julia met. Julias Apartment Julia lives here with her twin sister, Isobel. This is where she and her sister talk about Campbell. Campbells Apartment Campbells apartment is very sterile and high tech. It seems to reflect his personality. Julia reveals she does not like it, and he agrees. Shakespeares Cat Julia goes to the gay bar Shakespeares Cat to forget Campbell. Hercules the Goldfish A pet Kate got for her birthday. Sara saves him from near death a couple of times. Themes Fire Fire is a common theme in the book, and it ties much of the plot together. The passages that preface each section concern fire. Brian is a firefighter. Jesse sets fires. Kates illness can be compared to a fire because it is out of control and destroys everything in its path. Anna compares her initiating the lawsuit to fire. Brian says a fire should be allowed to burn unchecked. He is referring to Kates illness in that they should let it run its course without interference. He uses fire to make points in conversations with his coworkers. Brain connects fire to the story of Pandora s Box and hope. Hope is what he has left as Kates father. He is trying to put out the home fires, which include Kates illness, Annas lawsuit, Saras stubbornness, and Jesses troubles. Julia puts out the fire Brian starts in the kitchen; and in her role as guardian ad litem, she tries to put out fires. She also rescues Campbell. People that put out fires are rescuers. Characters in the book fill the rescuer roles. Brian is a rescuer on the job and in his family. Anna is Kates medical rescuer. Campbell points out at the hearing that people are not obligated to rescue by sharing a story of a homeless woman who let people die in a fire. Suzanne is Saras rescuer. Jesse goes from arsonist to rescuer. At the hearing, it is revealed that Kate wanted to be Annas rescuer for once. At the end of the book, it rains, and this puts out the fires of the characters burning throughout the book. Jesses inner fire is put out with Brians help, and he redeems himself. Kates fire is stopped, and she becomes healthy because of the kidney transplant. Campbell and Julias fire is contained because they reunite. Sara and Brians fire from Kates illness and Annas lawsuit and death is also contained, and they become a stronger couple. Astronomy Brians hobby is used to make points throughout the book. Some of the passages preceding the sections make astronomical references. Annas real name comes from a constellation named Andromeda, whose story is she is punished because of her mother, but she is rescued. The constellation resembles arms tied together. This can be applied to Annas story because her mother is pressuring her to donate, but with the hearing and the wreck, Anna is rescued. Brians talking about watching supernovas dies is comparable to the family and others watching Kate die. The story of Orpheus illustrates how death is inevitable. Sara continues the theme by comparing Kates sick face to the moons Brian likes, moons that are still, remote, cold.(118) Anna refers to the pleasant memory of catching stars after learning she can stay at the fire station. The punctuation of meteor showers during Brian and Annas conversation symbolizes what is hard for them to say. Anna compares astronomy maps to trying to find direct ion in her own life. Anna talks about astronomy to Campbell during the hearing. She talks about how stars are there even if one cannot see them. This applies to how oblivious parents, especially Anna and Campbells, can be to their children. Brian feels he lives on a different planet because of the situations of Anna and Jesse. He talks about cultures looking between the stars and realizes he has been looking at the wrong things. While rescuing Campbell from his seizure, he thinks about how astronomy of the past makes astronomy today inaccurate and says it is because the earths axis shakes. This tells the reader the life-shaking events of the book such as Kates illness and Campbells condition affects the perceptions of the people involved. After Annas death, Brian thinks about how the brightness of a star can overshadow another star, and when the other star is seen, it is too late. This applies to how Kate overshadowed Anna, and when Anna finally asserts herself, she dies. After Annas death, Kate reveals that her father said he could see Anna reincarnated in the stars. Roles The characters in the book play different roles. Anna is in the donor role for her sister when she would rather be in the role of a teenager who has friends and plays hockey. The lawsuit is Annas way of resisting her lifelong role. Throughout the book, she imagines herself in outlandish adventure roles, and after winning the hearing, Campbell thinks she will have fantastic roles in 10 years. Anna concludes that that the role she wants most is to be Kates sister. In the hearing, it is revealed that Anna does not mind playing the donor role, but Kate is tired of being the recipient. By getting Anna not to donate a kidney, Kate can be Annas savior, and they would have reversed roles for once. Jesse point out to Anna before she begins the lawsuit that the siblings have their own roles in the familyhe as the troublemaker, Kate as the martyr, and Anna as the peacemaker. Jesse changes roles by the end of the book. At first, he does not see himself as a rescuer because he cannot rescue Kate. After he has a breakthrough with his father, he goes from arsonist to police officer or savior. Sara and Brians roles go beyond being parents. Sara wants to play the savior role for Kate, but she has to get Anna to play that role. She demonstrates that she expects sisters to help each other as her sister, Suzanne, helps her. Sara has conflicts with the mother/lawyer role. After the lawsuit begins, Sara tries to balance being a mother to Anna and a lawyer on the opposing side of the lawsuit. This is a constant struggle until Sara realizes she is a good mother, and she should not try to save her children from themselves. Brian is the savior and mediator as he tries to save everybody in the family and acts as a buffer between Anna and Sara. Campbell has the lawyer role as he panders to the media and questions the witnesses at the hearing. He could be seen in a rescuer role as he rescues Anna from donating to Kate. He also has the romantic role with Julia, but this does not come to fruition until the end of the book after his secret is revealed. Julia has a mediator role as Annas guardian ad litem and a romantic role with Campbell after she learns the truth. Julias role as a sister is shown with her twin, Isobel. Ethical Dilemmas At the heart of My Sisters Keeper is an ethical dilemma: Should thirteen-year-old Anna be forced to give her kidney to her dying sister? Through much of the novel, it seems like Anna does not want to give Kate her kidney because she is tired of being a store of spare parts for Kate. Since she was born, Anna has undergone a number of painful procedures to save Kates life. Kate suffers from cancer and conditions related to the illness and its treatment. Her familys life has been focused on Kates illness and its potential recurrence during times of remission, since before Anna was born. Indeed, Anna was created to be a perfect sibling match for Kate. The Fitzgeralds went to a geneticist who created several embryos with the couples sperm and eggs, then figured out which one matched Kate. That embryo was implanted in Sara and became Anna. At the time, there was public controversy over their decision because Anna was seen as a designer baby. The ethical debate led to a talk show appearance for the couple, as well as hate mail. More than anyone else in the family, Sara sees no ethical dilemmas, neither in how Anna was created nor in making Anna suffer to try to keep Kate alive. Sara only responds to the latest crisis and the best solution at hand. When necessary, taking from Anna to give to Kate is no dilemma for her. The result is that Kate has lived longer than her doctor ever expected, but at the cost of a balanced family. The needs of Kate and her illness are put above all else, with Sara diligently guarding those interests at the expense of her husband and other children. Even Julia, the court-appointed guardian of Annas interests, cannot make a decision on what should be done. Annas lawsuit brings all these issues and the ethical dilemma to the forefront. With Campbell acting as her lawyer, she seeks the right to decide whether she gives up a kidney. Annas true motivation in her quest for medical emancipation is yet another ethical dilemma. As she reveals on the stand during the hearing, the reason that Anna has brought the lawsuit was for Kates benefit. Kate cannot tell her mother that she does not want to have the transplant. Kate is aware of the toll her illness has had on everyone and she seems tired of fighting. In fact, she has tried to kill herself before. This situation brings up the ethical dilemma: Should Kate be allowed to die when a measure can be taken to save her life? None of these ethical dilemmas is allowed to reach its full conclusion in the story. The novel ends with Anna suffering an injury that leads to brain death. As executor of her medical rights, Campbell authorizes the kidney transplant. Kates cancer goes into remission, and she has a normal life. But she knows that she is alive because Anna died. She believes that one sister had to die for the other to survive, another ethical conundrum. Control One issue that shapes many of the characters and situations in the novel is that of control. Nearly every major character in My Sisters Keeper is looking for control over some part of their existence in the face of disease. Anna, for example, seems to want to control her body and what is taken from it as evinced by her lawsuit. While it is later revealed that she actually filed the suit at Kates behest, Anna is still looking to control the situation to give her sister what she wants. Anna knows she cannot control her mother, her family, or her sisters illness, but she seeks control of her own destiny. Kate and Sara would like control of the opposite sides of the same coin. Kate wants to control her existence and the toll she puts on her family. She would like to become a ballerina if she grows up because she believes they have control over their bodies. Sara has spent her life since the diagnosis of Kates cancer trying to control the disease as well as Kates life. Sara has done everything in her power, including creating Anna, in an attempt to control Kates destiny. Sara has controlled all she could to keep Kate alive, without truly examining the consequences to herself and her family. One of the costs of Saras focused assault on Kates disease is the loss of closeness with Jesse. Both Brian and Sara have given up on Jesse, who repeatedly acts out. He loves his sisters and has done what he can to keep Kate alive, most notably giving his blood regularly to boost her platelets. But he has also moved into an apartment over the family garage to be separate from, yet still part of, his family. He sets fires to get attention and to feel a sense of control over something. Jesse knows the fires, car theft, and substance abuse are all masks for his pain, but he needs a parent to care about him. Brian reclaims control over his son when he finds evidence that Jesse set fires. Annas lawyer, Campbell, is also obsessed with control. He has suffered from epileptic seizures since the age of eighteen, but he keeps his condition a secret. Whenever someone asks why he has a service dog, he gives an obviously untrue answer. He allowed his condition to end his high school romance with Julia without telling her why. He controlled the situation because he believed she should be free of the burden of caring for someone with his condition. Familial Bonds The importance of familial, especially sibling, relationships is another underlying theme of My Sisters Keeper. Despite all the problems created by Kates illness and Saras quest to keep Kate alive, the Fitzgeralds remain a family. Though Brian and Sara have their problems, they work together to keep the family together amidst the disruptive force of Kates illness. Even Jesse, the delinquent son, still lives at home and is there to help out when Kate is ill or Anna needs his support. In turn, Anna helps her brother get out of jail when he is arrested for stealing the judges vehicle. Anna also does all she can to help her sister. While the pair squabble as sisters do when they share a room, Anna files the lawsuit to give Kate what she wants. All the siblings resent what has happened to them, but respond to the needs of the others in their family when the situation calls for it. After Annas unexpected death, the family grieves separately but eventually grows closer again. Like Kate and Anna, Julia and her twin sister, Izzy, are close. Julia allows her to move in after a painful breakup. Izzy wants to protect her from Campbell. While Campbells relationship with his parents is not close at all, it serves as an illuminating contrast to the Fitzgeralds and the Romanos. Style Point of View Each chapter in the book is told from the first person point of view. All the main characters narrate a chapter. They even have their own fonts. Picoult could have made this Kates story since it is the central issue, but she allows the characters to share their own stories. Kate has one chapter, and it is the final one. The other characters have more than one chapter each. The reader can see the effects of Kates illness on the Fitzgerald family. Everyone in the family despairs about Kates illness and Annas lawsuit, but they have different perspectives. The reader sees Campbell and Julias thoughts on the lawsuit and also their feelings about each other. By viewing Annas thoughts, the reader can see she does not take her decision to sue her parents lightly and that she is smart and perceptive. Jesse seems like an unlikable person, but his thoughts and actions show his pain over Kates illness and his helplessness. The reader sees Saras desperation to heal Kate at all costs and the epiphany she has during the hearing. The author shows Brians conflict over supporting his children when the family is in a divisive crisis. Campbells tough side as a lawyer and softer side with Julia are in his chapters. His growing friendship with Anna is shown. Because of the mystery of the guide dog, the reader wonders what Campbells medical problem is. Julia is able to see the Fitzgeralds objectively, so the reader gets an unbiased strangers view. After the intertwining of the characters viewpoints, the chapter from Kates point of view is surprising and enlightening. Up until her chapter, she was always a character seen by everyone else. Setting The book is set in Providence, Rhode Island. The medical settings are Kates hospital room and Dr. Chances office, which are both located in Providence hospital. Although Kate goes through tough times in her hospital room, Anna goes there to visit her sister despite the lawsuit. It is in Dr. Chances office that Sara gets the idea of having another child. His suggestions of how Anna can donate to Kate start there. The hospital is where Sara finds out about the lawsuit. The Fitzgerald house, which includes Jesses apartment, is another setting. It is in the house where Kates leukemia signs begin, and she has other medical problems there. The house is where family arguments such as between Kate and Sara take place. Brian finds materials around the apartment that make him realize Jesse is the arsonist. The homeless man, Duracell Dans, place at the underpass is where the rest of Jesses materials are kept. Campbell and Julias flashbacks are at the Wheeler School, which is a private high school in Rhode Island where they met. The class differences between Campbell and Julia and the other students reactions to their relationship occur at the school. Campbells apartment is part of the story because it is described as being modern and up-to-date but not warm like Campbell at first. Julia tells Campbell after they reconcile that she does not like his apartment. Julias apartment is where she and her sister discuss Campbell. Julia goes to a bar called Shakespeares Cat to try to escape Campbell. The fire station is a setting where Brian works, and he and Anna live to get away from the lawsuit at home. The fire station is a rescue place in different ways. Not only does it house the firefighters, but it also gives Brian an escape from the house and medical drama. On the rooftop, he can practice his astronomy hobby. Anna escapes there to get away from the pressures of her mother and the lawsuit. The courthouse is where the hearing is held. Campbells secret is revealed there, and the truth behind the lawsuit is also revealed there. Some settings serve as places that save the characters. The hospital obviously saves Kates life. The fire station saves Brian and Anna. The courthouse saves the Fitzgerald family and Campbell and Julias relationship. Language and Meaning At the beginning of each section, the language of passages from famous works refer to the books situations and themes. Annas first memory storys language sets the tone for the rest of the book. The language in the main part of the book is simple, but medical terms are used often. They are well explained. Sara, Kate, and Anna have as much medical knowledge about Kates condition as anyone else. Sara uses medical language to try to save Kate. Kate uses it, along with the language of a frustrated teenager, who is concerned about appearance and dating. Anna also mixes it with her own concerns about her life outside Kate. Legal language is used in the petition and in the hearing. The medical language helps Kate, but the legal language helps Anna. Sara analyzes words as she ponders situations. For example, she talks about how there is no word for a parent whose child dies. (703) Anna tries to figure out language, too. Brian and Anna use the language of astronomy and legends in an attempt to figure the world out. Brian uses his firefighter language to demonstrate situations. There is a combination of characters thoughts and dialogue. Because of his medical knowledge as a rescue worker, Brians thoughts let the reader know what is wrong with Campbell. Julias language with the Fitzgeralds is that of the mediator, which is part of her role as guardian ad litem even though she is not as conciliatory toward Campbell. The characters thoughts allow the readers to understand them; their dialogue does not sufficiently describe the characters. For example, Annas thoughts reveal her maturity beyond her 13 years. Jesse projects a tough-guy image to everyone with crude language, but his thoughts reveal his softer feelings about his family. Campbell is similar in that he acts like the tough lawyer, but his flashbacks to Julia and his present-day thoughts unveil his romantic side. Getting ready for the last day of the trial, Campbell, Brian, Jesse, Anna, and Sara note that it is raining at the beginnings of their chapters. These words quench the fires that have been raging in the book. Structure The chapters are not numbered. They are titled by the characters names. There is a prologue with a quote and then a short story by Anna. The sections are started by a day of the week and a passage. Saras chapters are flashbacks titled by years until her chapter called Present Day where she joins the present. She begins with Kates diagnosis and goes through the milestones of Kates illness. Campbell and Julias chapters are in the present, but they have flashbacks to their time together in high school. There is an epilogue by Kate set in a time in the future. The plot zigzags back and forth between the present and the past; it depends on the speaker. The book chronicles the events of the Fitzgerald family out of order mainly after Kates diagnosis: Annas birth; Annas donations; Anna, Kate, and Jesses childhoods; and the hearing and its aftermath. Campbell and Julias professional and personal stories and sections of the past about their teen relationship are mixed in. Multiple Points of View One striking feature of My Sisters Keeper is the way Picoult uses multiple first-person narrators to tell the story. A first-person point of view tells the story from one characters perspective in his or her own voice. Each section in the novel is made up of parts designated by the name of the character whose voice and perspective is being revealed. Picoult emphasizes the differences in these voices through the use of different fonts for different characters. The use of multiple voices allows readers the ability to understand the situations from different standpoints. The way Sara sees Kates cancer and Annas lawsuit is quite different from Annas viewpoint, Jesses position, and Campbells and Julias judgment. The result is a rounded, dramatic narrative. Flashback/flash-forward Several characters use flashbacks and flash-forwards as part of their narratives. Flashbacks look back in time, while flash-forwards describe future events. The only major character in the book who does not get a voice in the main chapters is Kate. She speaks only in the prologue and epilogue, eight years after the novels end. In the prologue, she talks about how she imagined killing her sister and that she only existed i

A Comparison of Dover Beach by Matthew Arnold and Prayer Before Brith b

A Comparison of Dover Beach by Matthew Arnold and Prayer Before Brith by Louis MacNeice 'Dover Beach' by Matthew Arnold, written in 1867, and 'Prayer Before Birth' written in 1951 by Louis MacNeice share many similarities despite being written nearly on hundred years apart from each other. This essay will explore the issues and ideas that both poems share, in addition to drawing attention to some of the key differences. 'Dover Beach' is about the thoughts of a man on his honeymoon, who shares his sentiments about the suffering of the world and that fact that his 'love' is the only thing which is positive about his life. 'Prayer Before Birth' describes the thoughts of an unborn child, making a plea to be kept safe against the dangers of the earth. Both poems refer to, are about, are interested in, and are concerned with criticism of the world, and distressed narrators; while some differences can be observed. For example: The unborn child in 'Prayer Before Birth' is certain of what the world is like, and he knows what might happen to him. Matthew Arnold, on the other hand expresses uncertainty in his poem. Even with slight differences, the predominant themes /preoccupations of the two poems are the same. It is clear that both poets feel disillusioned with life, and consider that there is little in life which is joyful or cause for optimism. Indeed, Matthew Arnold refers to a world which, "Hath really neither joy, nor love, nor light, nor certitude, nor peace, nor help for pain." Louis MacNeice is much more specific in is list of things which bring pain to individuals: the lectures of old men, the strife with bureaucracy, the humilia... ... free thinking of his own. To him, this is a fate worse than death, and he would rather die. What I think, is that the two poems are similar, because they are both evoke depressed feelings coming form the poet. Especially 'Prayer Before Birth', because how can a fetus be so incredibly pessimistic? 'Dover Beach' in my opinion is more poetic and more symbolic, and much more profound; whereas 'Prayer Before Birth' is more superficial and straightforward. I personally preferred 'Dover Beach' because of its vivid imagery, and subtle references to religion. I also feel sorry for Matthew Arnold, because when he wrote that beautiful poem, he was feeling anxiety, and uncertainty. He defiantly was not content whilst writing 'Dover Beach.' On the other hand I believe that Louis MacNeice was being cynical, and narrow minded.