An Explanation of the Origins of the Cold War in Europe

An Explanation of the Origins of the Cold War in Europe In the aftermath of the Second World War two power blocs formed in Europe, one dominated by America and capitalist democracy (though there were exceptions), the other dominated by the Soviet Union and communism. While these powers never directly fought, they waged a cold war of economic, military and ideological rivalry which dominated the second half of the twentieth. Pre-World War Two The origins of the Cold War can be traced back to the Russian Revolution of 1917, which created a Soviet Russia with a profoundly different economic and ideological state to the capitalist and democratic West. The ensuing civil war, in which Western powers unsuccessfully intervened, and the creation of Comintern, an organization dedicated to the spreading of communism, globally fuelled a climate of mistrust and fear between Russia and the rest of Europe/America. From 1918 to 1935, with the US pursuing a policy of isolationism and Stalin keeping Russia looking inward, the situation remained one of dislike rather than conflict. In 1935 Stalin changed his policy: afraid of fascism, he tried to form an alliance with the democratic Western powers against Nazi Germany. This initiative failed and in 1939 Stalin signed the Nazi-Soviet pact with Hitler, which only increased anti-Soviet hostility in the West, but delayed the onset of war between the two powers. However, while Stalin hoped Germ any would get bogged down in a war with France, early Nazi conquests occurred quickly, enabling Germany to invade the Soviet Union in 1941. The Second World War and the Political Division of Europe The German invasion of Russia, which followed a successful invasion of France, united the Soviets with Western Europe and later America in an alliance against their common enemy: Adolf Hitler. This war transformed the global balance of power, weakening Europe and leaving Russia and the United States of America as global superpowers, with massive military strength; everyone else was second. However, the wartime alliance was not an easy one, and by 1943 each side was thinking about the state of Post-war Europe. Russia ‘liberated’ vast areas of Eastern Europe, into which it wanted to put its own brand of government and turn into Soviet satellite states, in part to gain security from the capitalist West. Although the Allies tried to gain assurances for democratic elections from Russia during mid and post war conferences, there was ultimately nothing they could do to stop Russia from imposing its will on their conquests. In 1944 Churchill, Prime Minister of Britain was quoted as saying â€Å"Make no mistake, all the Balkans apart from Greece are going to be Bolshevised and there’s nothing I can do to prevent it. There’s nothing I can do for Poland, either†. Meanwhile, the Allies liberated large parts of Western Europe in which they recreated democratic nations. Two Superpower Blocs and Mutual Distrust World War Two finished in 1945 with Europe divided into two blocs, each occupied by the armies of, in the west America and the Allies, and in the east, Russia. America wanted a democratic Europe and was afraid of communism dominating the continent while Russia wanted the opposite, a communist Europe in which they dominated and not, as they feared, a united, capitalist Europe. Stalin believed, at first, those capitalist nations would soon fall to squabbling among themselves, a situation he could exploit, and was dismayed by the growing organization among the West. To these differences were added fear of Soviet invasion in the West and Russian fear of the atomic bomb ; fear of economic collapse in the west versus fear of economic domination by the west; a clash of ideologies (capitalism versus communism) and, on the Soviet front, the fear of a rearmed Germany hostile to Russia. In 1946 Churchill described the dividing line between East and West as an Iron Curtain.​ Containment, the Marshall Plan and the Economic Division of Europe America reacted to the threat of the spread of both Soviet power and communist thinking by commencing the policy of ‘containment’, outlined in a speech to Congress on March 12, 1947, action aimed at stopping any further Soviet expansion and isolating the ‘empire’ which existed. The need to halt Soviet expansion seemed all the more important later that year as Hungary was taken over by a one party communist system, and later when a new communist government took over the Czech state in a coup, nations which until then Stalin had been content to leave as a middle ground between the communist and capitalist blocs. Meanwhile, Western Europe was having severe economic difficulties as the nations struggled to recover from the devastating effects of the recent war. Worried that communist sympathizers were gaining influence as the economy worsened, to secure the western markets for US products and to put containment into practice, America reacted with the ‘Mars hall Plan’ of massive economic aid. Although it was offered to both eastern and western nations, albeit with certain strings attached, Stalin made sure it was rejected in the Soviet sphere of influence, a response the US had been expecting. Between 1947 and 1952 $13 billion was given to 16 mainly western nations and, while the effects are still debated, it generally boosted the economies of member nations and helped freeze communist groups from power, for example in France, where the communists members of the coalition government were ousted. It also created an economic divide as clear as the political one between the two power blocs. Meanwhile, Stalin formed COMECON, the ‘Commission for Mutual Economic Aid’, in 1949 to promote trade and economic growth among its satellites and Cominform, a union of communist parties (including those in the west) to spread communism. Containment also led to other initiatives: in 1947 the CIA spent large amounts to influence the result of Italy’s elections, helping the Christian Democrats defeat the Communist party. The Berlin Blockade By 1948, with Europe was firmly divided into communist and capitalist, Russian supported and American supported, Germany became the new ‘battleground’. Germany was divided into four parts and occupied by Britain, France,  America, and Russia; Berlin, situated in the Soviet zone, was also divided. In 1948 Stalin enforced a blockade of Western Berlin aimed at bluffing the Allies into renegotiating the division of Germany in his  favor, rather than them declaring war over the cut off zones. However, Stalin had miscalculated the ability of airpower, and the Allies responded with the ‘Berlin Airlift’: for eleven months supplies were flown into Berlin. This  was, in turn, a bluff, for the Allied planes had to fly over Russian airspace and the Allies gambled that Stalin wouldn’t shoot them down and risk war. He didn’t and the blockade was ended in May 1949 when Stalin gave up. The Berlin Blockade was the first time the previous diplomatic and po litical divisions in Europe had become an open battle of wills, the former allies now certain enemies. NATO, the Warsaw Pact and the Renewed Military Division of Europe In April 1949, with the Berlin Blockade in full effect and the threat of conflict with Russia looming, the Western powers signed the NATO treaty in Washington, creating a military alliance: the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. The emphasis was firmly on  defense  from  Soviet  activity. That same year Russia detonated its first atomic weapon, negating the America advantage and reducing the chance of the powers engaging in a ‘regular’ war because of fears over the consequences of nuclear conflict. There were debates over the next few years among NATO powers over whether to rearm West Germany and in 1955 it became a full member of NATO. A week later eastern nations signed the Warsaw Pact, creating a military alliance under a Soviet commander. A Cold War By 1949 two sides had formed, power blocs which were deeply opposed to each other, each believing the other threatened them and everything they stood for (and in many ways they did). Although there was no traditional warfare, there was a nuclear standoff and attitudes and ideology hardened over the next decades, the gap between them growing more entrenched. This led to the ‘Red Scare’ in the United States and yet more crushing of dissent in Russia. However, by this time the Cold War had also spread beyond the boundaries of Europe, becoming truly global as China became communist and America intervened in Korea and Vietnam. Nuclear weapons also grew more power with the creation, in 1952 by the US and in 1953 by the USSR, of thermonuclear weapons which were vastly more destructive than those dropped during the Second World War. This led to the development of ‘Mutually Assured Destruction’, whereby neither the US nor USSR would ‘hot’ war with each o ther because the resulting conflict would destroy much of the world.

Media violence and agression essays

Media violence and agression essays Within the past few decades there has been a growing concern about exposure to media violence. Many people have directly associated aggression and hostile thoughts to the viewing of, or participation in, violent media. It is now abundant in many forms: movies, music, video games, television shows, and even newscasts. The question is whether it changes us negatively as humans. If not, then it is obviously harmless. Then we could go on not paying any attention to the increase of intense and realistic violence within todays media. But the more probable answer is yes; it has, is, and will continue to affect us. There is a lot more to worry about now than there was twenty years ago. The world continues to evolve technologically, escalating our ability and probability to be exposed to such violence. For example, soldiers in Iraq have cameras strapped to their helmets, displaying an in-war perspective on local news stations, which we would otherwise not have. This is a vast evolution from t he sketchy news broadcasts and day to day speculation of North American civilians during the World Wars. Is this opened door a benefit, or is society being exposed to something it should not be? The same question can be asked about video games; one of the worlds most widespread hobbies. As well, movies and television are other explicitly violent culprits. All this too say that there are many violent sources available to people of all ages. And, if aggression is nourished within those who are exposed to these sources, then the world is heading in a dangerous direction. The cognitive learning theory suggests that, humans have underlying thought processes; therefore, having the ability to respond to situations based on thoughts, memory, and the way information is processed (Feldman). An example of this is, knowing how to drive a car without having ever done it before. One may observe their parent driving, and thereby obtain the basic skills requi...

Health Care Policies in a Hospital Unit Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Health Care Policies in a Hospital Unit - Essay Example This paper will address a required change in billing and retrieving of payment from insurance companies and patients in a hospital unit. In health care, a health policy can be defined as an action that is usually undertaken in order to achieve a certain health care goal within the society (Feldstein, 2011). There are several categories of health policies in the health care system. These policies are usually reviewed in order to improve the services provided through the health care system. The health care policies are aimed at solving or addressing an issue within the health care institutions. Researchers assert that the expenditure in health care is slowly outpacing the GDP in most countries. This paper will employ a possible policy that can address the issue of billing and retrieving of payment from insurance companies and patients in the hospital unit. The creation of a policy usually encompasses three main steps. These steps include the formulation stage, legislative stage and the implementation stage. In the formulation stage, the policies are usually reviewed by professional experts in the medical field. The legislative stage is the most essential phase in the creation of a policy. This is the stage whereby the policy is enacted through the support of the legislators (Feldstein, 2011). Lastly, the implementation stage is the last stage whereby the intervention of the policy is performed. In this case, the predicament lies within the billing department which also deals with retrieving of funds from insurance companies. The payment system in a health care institution deals with processing the payments for the services offered in the health care institution. In order for the health care institutions to address this predicament, they should apply the pay per performance policy. This policy is one of the emerging trends in health insurance (Forman, 2008).

An outline marketing plan for the next year for Atlantic Quench 092 Essay

An outline marketing plan for the next year for Atlantic Quench 092 - Essay Example While 1,209 companies in the U.S. soft drink industry deals with soft drink manufacturing where they blend ingredients such as water, syrup and sweeteners and sell the packages as beverage (Kaczanowska, 2010). The U.S. soft drink market is dominatd by main players such as Cocacola and Pepsi Inc Companies commanding 40% and 33% respectively of total flavoring syrup and concentrate manufacturing market and 28.6% and 26.8% respectively of soft drink manufacturing market in the U.S (Sicher, 2009). The remaining percentage is shared amongst many small soft drink manufacturing companies. The global market incorporates North America, South America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe and Asia-Pacific. The United Kingdom market the perfomance of fruit juice has great impact on the overall market, the industry includes fruit juice, juice drinks and smoothies. According to Mintel, the fruit juice, juice drinks and smoothies market in the UK is expected to grow by 13% in 2018. Manufacturer’s focus on added value especially on health matters and convenience is also expected to fuel value growth (Mintel, 2010a). The plan focuses on Atlantic Quench Cranberries Inc which is an agricultural co-operative company operating from Unites States. Currently, the company is owned by approximately 630 cranberry and 46 grapefruit farmers and known as the leading producer of juice drinks, canned and bottled juices in North America. Their brand is recognized as best-selling in the last three decades dating back to 1981. The report focuses on marketing plan for the next year for Atlantic Quench Cranberries Inc (Luther, 2013). The main objective being marketing Atlantic Quench Cranberries products through increasing sales accrued to this brand and product line items as well as offering diversified products tailor made to cater for customer demands (Ahmed and Rafiq, 2002). These two objectives can be met through use of strategic product pricing,

Reflections Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Reflections - Essay Example A good place to begin in this regard is with Carter's Three Step Integrity Model. To begin with step one: discerning what is right and what is wrong is not an innate behavior or characteristic; it is learned. Education is key to building up this moral faculty. This faculty is built up through experience and through principles. In a country as politically complicated and as diverse as the United States, this takes a lot of work. We can't shirk from hard work; we must embrace it. Step two: Sometimes integrity means acting on what you have discerned, even at personal cost. In our society, one would call a person who discerns and acts on what they have witnessed or experienced a "snitch". Many times in the justice arena a person who has witnessed a crime or an altercation, definitely could inform at personal cost-whether jeopardizing their lives or the lives of loved ones. An example a little closer to home would be, to discern something about a colleague or family member. This would definitely put one in an awkward position, especially if they have to confront the issue or if the issue jeopardizes the integrity of a company or violates a family member(s) trust; all at personal cost to that person. This more than likely would cause animosity, fear, loss of friendship and even, cost them their job or division in the family. The choice is a hard one; turning to faith is the best way to find an answer. Step three involves saying openly that you are acting on your understanding of right from wrong. Even if it costs you personally, it is important to be honest. You have to act on what you understand to be right and be honest with what knowledge you have. This too is part of integrity. 2. Interpersonal relations class. This class reminded me of a personal situation. When I was around 16 years old, the teacher in my class assigned all of us pen pals for the year. The pen pals were to be from the island of Malta, which is a small country in the Mediterranean near Sicily. I had never had a pen pal before. In fact I rarely wrote letters. It could be said that I was a shy child and did not have many friends. So I was a little bit nervous about having a pen pal as I didn't know how I felt about telling a stranger all about my life. My pen pal's name was Flavia and we soon began exchanging letters. While I might have been nervous at first, I soon began to really enjoy the experience. What I enjoyed most was getting to know another person in the way that I got to know Flavia. She was the same age as I was and with a lot of the same family background-the same amount of brother and sisters, for example-and from a similar socio-economic background. At first our letters simply introduced basic facts about our lives to one another. After a few letters doing this we began to talk about our routines-the sports we played, the kind of friends we had, the computer games we enjoyed. The more letters we exchanged, the closer I felt the two of us becoming. Soon we had graduated to begin to talk about what we thought about our lives, our societies, and cultures. We began to share personal details; this led to a bond that was built on trust. We both perceived each other as more fully formed people and began to understand what sort of stimuli influenced one another's perceptions and experiences of the world. Another important thing that made us feel closer together was the fact that over the months that

Research on New Zealand Tasman Glacier

Research on New Zealand Tasman Glacier New Zealand has a large number of glaciers, majority of these being located in the central Southern Alps of the South Island. In the South Island alone, there are over 3,100 glaciers (McSaveney, 2007). New Zealands largest glacier The Tasman Glacier, is located in the Southern Alps and it known to be the largest glacier in New Zealand. Since 1973, the glacier has been retreating progressively at a distressing percentage and it is predictable the lake will reach its maximum capacity within 10-19 years (Massey University, 2008). Thus, it is estimated that the glacier will eventually disappear (Mastny, 2000). In the 1950s, the process of the retreat began and there was a rapid expansion in the surrounding lake as the glacier began to melt (Kirkbride, 1993). The purpose of the laboratory was to use a stereoscope to view images of the Tasman Glacier in a 3-Dimensionial setting and then produce a geomorphic sketch of the region. From this point, the aim was to utilise the geomorphic sketch and compare it alongside a series of ASTER images of the glacier from the years 2000-2015 and also alongside aerial images from 1976 and 1986. The purpose of this being to explore and examine the changes that have occurred over time within the glacial processes of the Tasman Glacier. To enable understanding of how changes of the Tasman Glacier and the surrounding lake have been modified over time, a stereoscope was used to construct a geomorphic sketch of the location over tracing paper with a pencil. A stereoscope is a device which is imported to view a three-dimensional image when two high resolution photographs are placed approximately six centimetres apart. Aerial images of the location in 1976 and 1986 were examined and were compared with six ASTER images from the years 2000-2015. The ASTER images were presented in three year additions. The 2010 aerial image was used to sketch the features of the geomorphic map, these features included the position of streams, alluvial fans, kettle holes and moraines- both terminal and lateral. The sketched map was compared to preceding ASTER and aerial images of the glacier to provide an understanding of the changes that have occurred throughout time within the locatio The sketched geomorphic map (figure 1) signifies both the Tasman Glacier and how its form and physiognomies have been hindered over time due to natural processes. Results were exposed by comparing the alterations of the ASTER images and the aerial images with the hand sketched geomorphic map of the 2010 glacier; a number of observations were made. To begin with, alongside the Tasman Glacier, bordering Tasman Lake is the lateral moraine. Through comparing the aerial images with the sketched geomorphic map, the reduction in the lateral moraine between 1976-2015 is obvious. The bottommost part of the glacier is where the terminal moraine is formed. The terminal moraine appears to be perceived as a group of small unconnected kettle holes when examining the 1976 and 1986 aerial photographs. At the southern end of the glacier, below the terminal moraine is where the Tasman River begins to flow. Superior to the terminal moraine is the Tasman Lake which is where the glacier is found to terminate. By comparing the geological map with the ASTER photographs, it was noticed that the ice accumulation on the mountains has reduced greatly from 1976 to 2015 which is able to be observed on the lateral moraines of the glacier. With relation to the Murchison River, in the aerial photographs it is noticeable that the river flowed around the terminal moraine close to the glacial boundary. The Murchison River joined the Tasman River on the outwash plain to an area of braided river which forms where a heavy sediment load is deposited and shift between channels giving it a braided like appearance (Harcourt, 2005). By comparing the aerial photographs with the geomorphic sketch, is also evident that over time, the Murchison River eroded part of a lateral moraine, thus moving the river closer to the Tasman lake as it disperses itself from the glacial boundary. As of now, the Murchison River feeds into the Tasman Lake and has eroded the lateral moraine bank. A change in root of the Murchison River is noticeable when comparing the sketched geomorphic map with the ASTER images. In the ASTER images from both 1976 and 1986, the Tasman Glacier had no retreat lake whilst the ASTER image from 2000 depicts the Murchison River flowing directly into the Tasman Lake, thus contributing to the size of the lake. When comparing the 1986 aerial image with the 2000 ASTER image, a change in shape of the Tasman Valley is noticeable. It has changed from the shape of a V to the shape of a U, caused by the natural process of glaciation. It is also evident that the Tasman Lake has increased in size over the years. When comparing the 1986 aerial images with the geomorphic sketch it is noticeable that there has been an increase in alluvial fans that have been found at the bases of hills along the glaciers path- mainly occurring on Mount Johnson and Mount Chudleigh. It is noticeable that from comparing the 1986 aerial photograph to the geomorphic sketch, that a lake has formed over time toward the eastern end of the Mackenzie basin. Further, the glacier contained more ice in the 1986 aerial photograph in comparison to the 2015 ASTER image. Another important key geological feature on the map are the permanent snowfields which lie to the west of the lake- the Mount Cook Ranges (Aoraki). At the height of 3,724 meters, the Mount Cook ranges are high enough to hold snow throughout the year (Dennis, 2007). By comparing the ASTER images with the sketched geomorphic map, it becomes obvious that there has been a copious quantity of changes in the Tasman Glacier and its surrounding valley between the years 1986-2015. A number of natural processes have arisen that have adapted glacier, contributing to its retreat. The Tasman Glacier is a river of ice which is shown to move slowly through time laps photography. However, it moves so slowly that one is not able to see the movement with their eyes. In 1993, the Tasman lake was shown by a bathymetric survey to be 1.95 square km whilst in 2008 it has been seen to increase in length by 4.01 square km and is now over 5.96 square km (Warren Kirkbride, 2008). An alluvial fan is an important feature of the maps. This feature is a triangle-shaped deposit of sediment, including gravel and sand (National Geographic Society, 2017) and are created as flowing water interacts with landforms such as mountains and (Blair and McPherson, 1994). The landform spreads out and are given a triangular shape as streams form. From 1976-2015, an increase in alluvial fans has become present on the Murchison glacier and along with the Tasman Glacier. This is noticeable when comparing the geomorphic sketch with the aerial photographs. The Murchison river has changed direction over time, this being due to the fast rate of glacial retreat resulting in calving on the terminus. Calving refers to the breaking of ice chunks from the edge of a glacier into the water below and is a significant cause of the landforms retreat (Ferguson, 2017). The process occurs at the terminus of the Tasman Glacier and is which is normally caused by the glacier expanding (Marshak, 2009). The glacier continues to retreat in length as calving continues. Since 2007, the Tasman Glacier appears to have less frequent calving events, however when calving events happen, they have a higher magnitude in comparison to previous times. (Warren Kirkbride, 2003) Down wasting has occurred which is noticeable when comparing the ASTER images with the aerial images. This has happened because under the force of gravity, sediments of soil, sand and rock fall down the landscape, making the mountain decrease in size but falling into te surrounding lake increasing its depth and size (The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2014). On the sides of the lateral moraine, the retreating glacier causes friction which produces heat and results in faster melting of the ice. The melted ice is then flown into the alluvial planes, deepening the lake. Debris of rock falls from both sides of the glacier and scrapes alongside the lateral moraine causing the glacier to retreat. The lake surrounding the Tasman Glacier is divided into layers in relation to temperature. The upper layer of the lake has a temperature ranging from two degrees to five degrees Celsius whilst the bottom layer has a much lower temperature, sitting at around 0.1 degrees Celsius (Warren Kirkbridge, 2010) . The temperature difference is due to uneven melting of the glacier and the sunrays partially getting passed through the top layer, causing it to be warmer than the bottom division of lake (GNS Science, 2009). Due to the temperature difference, the absorption of heat which causes the ice in the moraine to melt faster, thus increasing the size of the surrounding lake. Stress fractures are caused in the ice of the glacier due to an increase in temperature which contributes to the retreat of the landform (Davies, 2015). The sediments that have rolled down into the moraines absorb heat from the sun and result in further melting of the landform. Lakes surrounding the Tasman Glacier have c ombined over time, thus contributing to an increase in the size of the lake (Davies, 2015) which is made obvious whilst studying the traced geomorphic map and comparing it with the ASTER images. The glacial ice sheets have been reducing in thickness 1976 which is present comparing the aerial images with the geomorphic map. Blocks of ice that are separated from the main glacier due to glacial retreat or a flood form kettle holes (Snorrason, 2002). This down wasting progressed over time which lead to the formation of small kettle holes across the Tasman Glacier. A three-dimensional image of the Tasman Glacier was created with the aid of a stereoscope and a geomorphic sketch of the current glacier was conducted. This was used to identify natural landforms that make up the glacier including the lakes, lateral and terminal moraines and alluvial fans. When comparing the geomorphic sketch to the ASTER and aerial images, the changes that have occurred of the Tasman Glacier due to natural events became obvious and it shows that a number of interacting glacial processes contributed to the glaciers rapid retreat.

The Social Dynamics of the Weight Room Essay -- Personal Narrative Wei

The Social Dynamics of the Weight Room Missing Works Cited As I walk down the streets of Hollywood, I can’t help but notice all the billboards advertising numerous products. The symbols of these products are beautiful young people with rock hard, chizzled bodies. It is interesting to note what defines a female as beautiful and a male as beautiful. The females seem to look extremely thin with tight arms, stomachs and buttocks’. These models for â€Å"Levi’s† or â€Å"Banana Republic† don’t have all the curves, but look feminine in a rather boyish manner. When viewing males on these billboards, you will notice that they are often times cut, trim, and more curvy than the female. They commonly shave their bodies for companies like â€Å"J-Crew† and â€Å"Abercrombie and Fitch†. We can see that there may be a possibility of gender crossings (males looking more feminine and females looking more masculine). These images represent beauty and are seen as cultural icons of appearance in o ur culture. The media seems to determine and drive the social stigma of society. Looking for the effects of these icons in our culture, I decided that it would be beneficial to explore the source of the image building†¦a fitness gym. Weight lifting has many connotations for social interaction. The purpose of this ethnography is to discover possible explanations to lifting weights, how lifting weights personifies masculine and feminine gender roles, to understand the social interactions within the weight room, and to investigate how much the media plays into the development of the masculine and feminine image. The weight room is a culture in its own that represents the masculine and feminine image of our culture. When I first entered the â€Å"Muscle Madness ... ...is not heterosexual at all, but homosexual: not only is she ‘unnatural,’ but the female boldybuilder possesses the power to invert normal male sexuality. Since Bev Francis [female bodybuilder] looks and moves ‘like a man,’ homophobic patriarchal ideology whispers that men who find her attractive must be gay, and, further, that women who find her attractive must be lesbians. Bev’s muscles, dress, heavy facial features, and ‘unfemine’ body language evoke the stereotype of what a lesbian looks like: the butch, the lesbaian who is immediately recognizable as such, visibly different†¦.gay men are assumed to be wimps who worship ‘he-men,’ while lesbians are assumed to be women who are ‘he men’ or women who worship ‘he/she men’. †¦sexuality is surreptitiously linked with sex and gender in such a way as to support heterosexual and patriarchal ideologies. (Holmund, 150-51)

Charles Dickens’s life Essay

How does Dickens create an atmosphere of mystery and fear in chapters 1 and 39 of â€Å"Great Expectations†? Great Expectations is a book written in 1861, by Charles Dickens. But the book is narrated by a boy called Pip; a main character in the novel, who grows up as the story goes on. The novel is about Pip growing up and moving to London to become a gentleman. But there are many twists in the story such as the convict that he meets in the first chapter, is actually paying his expenses to become a gentleman. Great Expectations is written as a semi autobiographical style novel. Dickens wrote it as he felt troubled at this certain time of his life, and needed some kind of physical and emotional support. In the first chapter, we don’t know much about Pip’s life. We know that Pip is alone in the churchyard. â€Å"This bleak place, overgrown with nettles, was the churchyard. † This shows that Dickens is describing the churchyard as a dark and sinister place, therefore creating a sense of mystery and fear. Pip then surprisingly meets the convict. â€Å"†Hold your noise! † cried a terrible voice, as a man started up from among the graves† This shows that Dickens is creating fear by the abruptness of the order. Dickens uses comedy in beginning of this chapter with, â€Å"I religiously entertained that they had all been born on their backs with their hands in their trousers-pockets, and had never taken them out in this state of existence. † This shows that Dickens has got some humour as these boys would never have had a chance to do this, because they died very early on. Dickens also uses pathetic fallacy with, â€Å"angry, red lines and dense black lines intermixed. † This shows that he uses pathetic fallacy to emphasise the violence of the convict’s actions. To do this he also uses slightly emotive language; â€Å"angry. † Between the end of this chapter and chapter 39, Pip experiences a series of events. He finds food for the convict, and he is extremely grateful for it, but word gets out that he is around and everyone finds him, so he is sent away. Pip gets invited to Miss Havisham’s house to â€Å"play† where he meets Estella, which at first sight, falls in love with her. Later on, he meets Herbert Pocket a lively young chap that challenges Pip to a fight and loses without a doubt. A few years later he is an apprentice of Joe, when suddenly Mr. Jaggers walks in and proposes an opportunity for Pip to travel to London, and learn to become a gentleman. Inevitably he takes the opportunity and leaves for London. But when he arrives he sees Mr. Pocket and he is pleasantly surprised. As time passes he becomes a little snobby and when Mr. Joe visits, he feels very unwelcome so decides to leave. In chapter 39 we find Pip is alone because Herbert was on a business trip to Marseilles. So pip wasn’t feeling too happy, as he didn’t particularly like being alone. â€Å"I†¦ had a dull sense of being alone. Dispirited and anxious, long hoping that to-morrow or next week would clear my way†¦ I sadly missed the cheerful face of my friend. † This quotation shows that Dickens is using emotive language, in order for the reader to feel the sadness of Pip. The weather is also reflecting Pip’s feelings. â€Å"Day after day, a heavy veil had been driving over London from the East, and it drove still. † This quotation shows that Dickens is creating a sense of mystery by using pathetic fallacy and emotive language. He also uses a metaphor â€Å"a vast heavy veil†. A veil covers up something which also emphasises the sense of mystery and fear. When Pip meets the convict, his reaction is slow to realise. But when he does; he is surprised, but still queer. â€Å"†Keep off! If you are grateful to me for what I did when I was a little child, I hope you have shown your gratitude by mending your way of life. If you have come here to thank me, it was not necessary. Still, however, you have found me out† This shows that Dickens is creating mystery by making it so that Pip is surprised and half pleased, but still to be fully satisfied. The mystery is solved in this chapter. â€Å"Great Expectations† is influenced by the events occurring in Charles Dickens’s life. I think that his work is still read and valued today, because he has used his own experiences to reflect onto his work. When you put this together with dickens’s style, including his use of emotive language, pathetic fallacy etc. , it creates a unique and amazing style of writing that everyone seems to be able to get into. I think that people are able to do this really easily because his work is mostly based on things that you can’t experience in today’s world. Dickens creates a sense of mystery and fear with many different techniques such as; pathetic fallacy, emotive language and metaphors.

These 30 ROFL Steven Wrights Funniest Jokes Are Crazily Funny

These 30 ROFL Steven Wright's Funniest Jokes Are Crazily Funny The Persona of Steven Wright: Deadpan, Dead Serious Comedian When he walks up the stage, the lackadaisical strut which is a Steven Wright signature makes the audience lean forward in rapt attention.  They know that something really big is about to happen. He paces up and down the platform, seemingly in no hurry, and without making eye contact with his eager listeners. The build-up to this climax can only be satisfied by a one-liner from the ace comedian as he cracks his first joke: Thanks! The sudden burst of laughter among the audience tells you that the comedian has struck a chord. And with a deadpan expression, eyes searching the room, Steven Wright lands another gem from his collection: I got food poisoning today. I dont know when Ill use it. With this funny quip, he has nailed it. The audience is now enraptured. The evening has just begun. What Makes Steven Wright Such a Hit With His Audience? One of the things you will like about Steven Wright, the famous American comedian, is that he does not make ribald jokes on race or color. Most of his humor revolves around his observations of day-to-day life. With Steven Wrights humor, you can see how ludicrous our lifestyles and beliefs are. Why Steven Wright Is Like No Other Standup Comedian Steven Wrights deadpan facial expression adds to the humor. His wacky frazzled hair balding in the center, overgrowing on the sides contribute to his humorous persona. He comes across as a laid-back performer, who happened to accidentally walk on to the stage.  It only takes a minute for the audience to connect with him. Once he is on stage, Steven Wright is a transformed man. He ensures that his audience has a bellyful of laughs, and they keep asking for more. Steven Wright does not come across as a comedian who is trying hard to please. He looks like he sleepwalked his way into the show. But given that he puts up this act every time with aplomb, it is anybodys guess how much work he puts into making every act of his act seem like a masterpiece. Steven Wright Short and Funny Jokes Are Classic Humor What makes Steven Wright stand out from his contemporaries and predecessors, is that he can create a joke with the fewest words in them. His signature Thanks! at the beginning of his show is proof that you dont need too many words to create a great joke. In fact, too many words kill the essence of the joke, when you spell it out for the audience. Another of his characteristic short one liner is: Lost a buttonhole.What are imitation rhinestones?If I ever have twins, Id use one for parts.I was skydiving horizontally.Whats another word for Thesaurus?I xeroxed my watch. Now I have time to spare.Is tired old cliche one? Steven Wright has a gift of great observation. His jokes usually talk about the absurdities of life. They often make you think, Now, thats really funny. Why didnt I think of that joke? His great ability to use  paraprosdokians with perfect comic timing makes him an instant hit with his audience. The Comedian, Actor, Director, Grammy Award and Academy Award Winner Steven Wright is a man of many colors. In 1989,  he won an Academy Award for a 30-minute short film he co-wrote with Michael Armstrong titled, The Appointments of Dennis Jennings. Prior to this,  Wright created a comedy album in 1985, which was titled, I Have a Pony. The album was widely appreciated and even nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album. Read Some of the Funniest Steven Wright Jokes Here are some gems of humor from the famous comedian. These Steven Wright jokes are great conversation starters. I have seen many of these lines used as ice-breakers in training sessions, speeches, and Facebook status updates. Spice up your essays with a punch of humor from these jokes. Right now Im having amnesia and deja vu at the same time.One time, the police stopped me for speeding, and they said, Dont you know the speed limit is 55 miles an hour? I said, Yeah, I know, but I wasnt gonna be out that long.I broke a mirror in my house. Im supposed to get seven years bad luck, but my lawyer thinks he can get me five.The

Free Essays on A Christmas Carol

A Christmas Carol Written by: mr krabs â€Å"Humbug!† was Scrooge’s favorite answer to any question and any question was an inappropriate question to the grumpy old covetous man. Depicted in the ethical story, The Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens, Scrooge’s fowling manner transformed his once passionate heart to a black hole, which pulled in all hope and happiness as if it were a powerful magnet. Nevertheless, the jar of hatred shattered and Scrooge’s impaired spirit rose again. Love and happiness permeated his body, and the once ignorant Scrooge developed into an irresistible congenial fellow that everyone now knew. Scrooge found that he had the ability to alter his behavior and realized that spreading Christmas was more rewarding than any given amount of money. Scrooge’s capability to transform himself from a wrenching, disgruntled man to a blithe, amicable friend was surprising to the inhabitants of the small city. For instance, Charles Dickens wrote, â€Å"Some people laughed to see the alteration in him [Scrooge], but he let them laugh, and little heeded them†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (page 112). Scrooge didn’t mind the giggles and laughs directed at him because he believed in himself for the first time in a very long time. His confined spirit was freed at last and it allotted happiness and joy around from mysterious turkeys on the doorstep to charity donations. Scrooge sought to make the people of the city cheerful and in doing so, people enjoyed watching an old jolly man hop around delivering gifts. Thus, Scrooge did not heed to the snickers in the crowd. The joy of spreading Christmas was Scrooge’s indirect gift to mankind and it rewarded him with long-lasting friends, which could never compare to any wealth. For example, Charles Dickens wrote,† He [Scrooge] became as good a friend, as good a master, and as good a man as the good old City knew, or any other good old city, town, or borough in the good old world â€Å" (page 112). Thi... Free Essays on A Christmas Carol Free Essays on A Christmas Carol A Christmas Carol Written by: mr krabs â€Å"Humbug!† was Scrooge’s favorite answer to any question and any question was an inappropriate question to the grumpy old covetous man. Depicted in the ethical story, The Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens, Scrooge’s fowling manner transformed his once passionate heart to a black hole, which pulled in all hope and happiness as if it were a powerful magnet. Nevertheless, the jar of hatred shattered and Scrooge’s impaired spirit rose again. Love and happiness permeated his body, and the once ignorant Scrooge developed into an irresistible congenial fellow that everyone now knew. Scrooge found that he had the ability to alter his behavior and realized that spreading Christmas was more rewarding than any given amount of money. Scrooge’s capability to transform himself from a wrenching, disgruntled man to a blithe, amicable friend was surprising to the inhabitants of the small city. For instance, Charles Dickens wrote, â€Å"Some people laughed to see the alteration in him [Scrooge], but he let them laugh, and little heeded them†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (page 112). Scrooge didn’t mind the giggles and laughs directed at him because he believed in himself for the first time in a very long time. His confined spirit was freed at last and it allotted happiness and joy around from mysterious turkeys on the doorstep to charity donations. Scrooge sought to make the people of the city cheerful and in doing so, people enjoyed watching an old jolly man hop around delivering gifts. Thus, Scrooge did not heed to the snickers in the crowd. The joy of spreading Christmas was Scrooge’s indirect gift to mankind and it rewarded him with long-lasting friends, which could never compare to any wealth. For example, Charles Dickens wrote,† He [Scrooge] became as good a friend, as good a master, and as good a man as the good old City knew, or any other good old city, town, or borough in the good old world â€Å" (page 112). Thi...

Attentional Spotlights Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Attentional Spotlights - Essay Example In the study conducted by Vargha-Khadem and his associates in 2005, they have concluded that the ability to focus, organize and correlate information is important in the development of the communication and social skills that eventually set our species apart from other primates. These evolutionary developments include molecular neurological activities related to visual attention that has streamlined the brain into the identified activity centers (Mangun, 1995). According to Tong (2004), the "longstanding notion that spatial attention cannot be divided stems from the assumptions of early philosophers, such as Descartes, that consciousness itself is unitary and indivisible" is being challenged by neuroimages chronicling the neural activities that occur in the brain's retinotopic visual areas (p. 524). An important element in these changing perspectives is the technology that is becoming available for researches. There has been progression inclination towards the existence of multiple attention points in recent years. There has been evidence that attention spotlights are active concurrently at various areas of the brain given a common stimuli (Mller et al, 2003). At the same time, there are some researches that also point out that these concurrent activities many not necessarily be attention spotlights but rather are independent and unrelated cognitive neural activity (LaBerge et al, 1997). There is significant divergence in the consensus regarding the function of selective visual attention in attentional spotlight. Opinions mainly diverge on the prevalence, degree and significance of attentional spotlight. However, there is a universal realization that existing technologies and knowledge needs is still not enough to be deterministic. Current studies indicate that selective visual attention affords for flexibility and efficiency to facilitate between high level process and low sensory information. The role of spotlight serves as an accelerator of the highlighted information or stimulus (Spratling and Johnson, 2004). In the process of spotlighting, information is illuminated by the attention spotlight which has then the effect of streamlining perscotion of the said elements. However, when spatial shifting takes place, the spotlight turns off to be able to focus anew. This means that in the process of going thorugh spotlight A to spotlight B, the current consensus is that attentional spotlight does not exist. Concept Appraisal Understanding selective attention in the process of visual perception requires the recognition of the different attention mechanisms that are involved in the identification of a stimulus versus those that are involved after the process of perception (Vecera & Rizzo, 2003). Modern cognitive neuroscience experts in particular are emphasizing the need to further understand the components of selective visual attention to an attentional spotlight considering neuroanatomy and timing (Hopf et al, 2000). This is in view of its significance not only in the process of p[perception but also in the development of language and speech skills that in humans has been identified to depend significantly on the said factors (Vargha-Khadem et al, 2005). According to Chris Chatam (2006), "The spotlight metaphor of attention accords with our subjective experience: as

Documentary Reflection assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Documentary Reflection - Assignment Example Such information is a prerequisite for them to make informed decisions about fracturing. Most products have the capability of causing defects to the endocrine system thus affecting development and reproduction in human and wildlife. Others are known to affect the skin, eyes, sensory organs, respiratory system, and liver. In addition, they have adverse effect on the general environment, soil, water, and air. As such, it is important to have fracturing contractors reveal full information about their products to the public. Natural gas manufacturer too, are obliged to reveal the chemical contents and effects of their products. However, a major drawback associated with this is that, most of them rely on Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDA) for product information. Seemingly, it has been discovered that many MSDSs provide unreliable fragmented information. This therefore hinders the public access to full information about products and related chemicals. As a fact, the Chevron company should have full disclosure of its product and chemicals associated with fracturing and natural gas manufacturing may not only enable people to know about their adverse effects on health alone but may also enable them to be conversant with the air and water quality they consume. This is very significant in developing air and water quality monitoring protocols. Those living near natural gas development industries stand to benefit the most from such information. Besides all these, such information could be very important for the public to make decisions about the regulation of the fracturing and drilling activities. Thus, based on deep analysis of the movie, it can be concluded that the general public deserves to be informed about the effects of gas products from industries, fracturing and drilling industries in order to enlighten and make them take necessary