An Analysis of Homer Hickam’s “Rocket Boys” Essay

Each of us has our own dreams. Most of the time, we start building our dreams while we are still in childhood. However, most of us realize what we want to be and to do the moment we become a teenager. Clearly, adolescence is one, or perhaps, the most crucial period of our lives. This is our turning point from being a child going to an adult. From this period, we start to shape our future, our fate. From this period, we begin to draw the lines of our palms and our destiny. It is during the same period when retired NASA engineer Homer Hickam fully realized what he wanted to be. His adventures were all written in a memoir that he wrote and entitled â€Å"Rocket Boys†. Set during the middle of the twentieth century, â€Å"Rocket Boys† tells the story of a group of teenager boys in West Virginia who followed their dream of becoming an established creator of rockets. Hickam used his own point-of-view in retelling the tales from his town. In this book, the author tried to narrate how he draws his destiny by following his ultimate dream. The book is very heart-warming and inspiring, and yet not too dramatic. The events, which the author described, were humorous themselves. The book, moreover, offers a lot of realizations and lessons in life. Because of this, â€Å"Rocket Boys† received a lot of appraisal since the time of its publication in 1998. In fact, the book has already been adapted into a movie entitled â€Å"October Sky† the year after its publication. How do the elements of the story, particularly the characters, help in the appraisal of Hickam’s â€Å"Rocket Boys†? One of the most powerful aspects of the novel is the portrayal of the characters. Although historical ones, the characters in â€Å"Rocket Boys† seem to be fictionally created. There are certain parts of the story wherein the characters seem to act and behave as if they were characters from a dramatic TV series. The portrayal of the main character, for example, is perfectly executed that one would think that Homer is a fictional character living at the turn of fictional events. With this, Sonny’s actions seem to be believable. At the onset of the story, the readers would really get hooked by the author’s first sentence: â€Å"Until I began to build and launch rockets, I didn’t know my hometown was at war with itself over its children and that my parents were locked in a kind of bloodless combat over how my brother and I would live our lives. † (Hickam, p. 1). Clearly, this line would give the readers an impact of how Sonny’s life looks like. What he said was true, thus making the first line believable already, which the readers could relate with. Sonny’s diverse friends also add flavor to the story and to Sonny’s life, as well. As we could remember, Sonny’s adolescence was very colorful. It has its bright mode. For example, he experienced most of his happy memories with his friends. One of the most memorable scenes of the boys in the story is their act of chasing rockets using their old car. It only means that as teenagers, they were focused in chasing their dream. In addition, chasing rockets while chasing the two beauties of Coalwood makes the scene a bit light. In addition, Sonny’s family plays a vital role in his life. Sonny’s father could be said as a responsible man. However, he could be also categorized as strict and realistic. Thus, these traits were also shown with his relationship with his family. Sonny, for example, could not go to college because he lacks scholarship. Unlike his older brother, Sonny has no blood for sports. Instead of encouraging his son to look for other ways in entering a college, Mr. Hickam never did. He was even not in favor with Sonny’s dream of building rockets, an opposite stand that Sonny’s mother takes. Sonny’s attitude, as well as his friends, could symbolize modernity while those of his father could mean conservatism. It was nice that Sonny did not have to balance the two. He just simply yielded to what he thinks is most suited for him. Because of that, the story became more believable. His actions became consistent since he is focused in one thing—chasing rockets and chasing his dream—a very beautiful story told through the voice of a certified Rocket Boy.

Introducing an East World to a West World Essay

On June 26, 1982, Pearl Sydenstricker was born in Hillsboro West Virginia, to two American Presbyterian missionaries who primarily served in China (â€Å"Buck, Pearl S.†). At the age of two, Buck and her family moved back to China where she spent the next 6 years of her life adapting the Chinese culture while integrating aspects of her American heritage as well. Buck’s childhood in China stimulated the bicultural traits that she infused into her writing by exemplifying both American and Chinese culture and values. At 15, Buck was sent to a boarding school in Shanghai and continued her schooling at the Randolph Macon Woman’s College in Lynchburg Virginia, where she graduated in 1914 and taught psychology. Later on she finished her schooling at Cornell University receiving a Master of Arts Degree. Buck also taught English at several universities throughout her career including the University of Nanking, Chung Yang University, and Southeastern University (â€Å"Works of Pearl Buck†). A notable historic event that impacted Buck’s life and her writing was the Boxer Rebellion (â€Å"Works of Pearl Buck†). The boxers were a group of Chinese people who opposed the spread of Western ideas and technology and convinced the empress to drive out all foreigners in China in order to sustain China’s ancient culture and history. Despite the empress’ support for the arising Western influence, the Boxers lashed out by imprisoning the empress and stimulating the attacks on foreigners. This ultimately caused Buck’s family to flee from China back to America in order to escape the rebellions plotted against foreigners (â€Å"A Life Lived in Interesting Times†). Buck also witnessed the foot-binding and murder of female babies in China due to the patriarchal nature that was indigenous to the Chinese culture. This influenced her to become an advocate for woman’s rights and her experience with the Boxer Rebellion profoundly affected her perspective for equality and the political barriers that seemed to separate the values of the West and Asia which was reflected in the various themes she covered. Throughout her life Buck was an outspoken feminist and equalist. She displayed her advocacy by supporting various organizations who strived for equality, promoting birth control, and even adopting nine children. (â€Å"Pearl S. Buck: A Cultural Biography†). She married John L. Buck, and they had one daughter who was mentally disabled. Her daughter’s disability motivated her to support children’s advocacy which inspired her to write â€Å"The Child Who Never Grew† in 1950. It also led her to establish the Pearl S. Buck foundation which strives to assist in the adoption and well-being of Amerasian children. However, her and her husband divorced in 1935 and she soon married Richard J. Walsh, her publisher who she stayed married to until the end of her life (â€Å"Buck, Pearl S.†). Pearl Buck was known for her works such as Dragon Seed which focuses on a female empress named Tzu Hsi who was faced with ruling China during a period of war. Some of her works also reflect her lifestyle that was influenced by two entirely different cultures. Buck’s memoir My Several Worlds tells about her long journey growing up in an environment of political struggle and internal warfare between her own people when her and her family was outcasted by the Chinese as foreigners. It tells about her career as an influential writer, an ambassador, and civil rights activist with her motives defined by the countless experiences of her life. Her most notable title which earned her a Pulitzer Prize and a Noble Prize in Literature was The Good Earth. The book tells of a poor farmer named Wang Lung and his wife who struggle with the changes that war and a corrupted government have brought upon the nation such as famine and poverty. This theme of personal obstacles can most likely relate to Buck’s audience when the book was published in 1931: the many Americans who struggled with the shifting politics and economy during the Great Depression (â€Å"The Good Earth, 1931,† The American Novel†). Buck’s work conveys the complexity of Chinese culture and life to America based off her experience growing up in a bicultural environment (â€Å"The Good Earth,† Barnes and Noble). Buck’s work can best be categorized by the movement of Realism because of the reality that she tries to depict in order to relate the hardships that both the Chinese and Americans share. Realism mainly focused on portraying average experiences and it transitioned after the movement of Romance. It is thought to be known as â€Å"the faithful representation of reality† (â€Å"Realism in American Literature, 1860-1890†). The realist nature of her books forged a connection through the similarities in lifestyle and adversities that the Americans shared with the people of China (â€Å"1860s-1900s Realism,† PBS). She aimed to depict the daily lives of the civilians of China through her characters’ lifestyles that gave an insight of life shrouded by Chinese culture and beliefs. Her ability to express the personal struggles of both the upper, middle, and lower class allowed her to convey the theme of cumulative struggles and experiences of a country as a whole. Pearl Buck’s main purpose for her writing was to link the alien and foreign culture of China to the people of America who were clueless to the cultural values that China imposed (The American Novel). She delivered with a style that precisely aimed to reveal the plain and blunt truth of life, no matter what social class a person belonged to. The works of Pearl Buck have left a lasting impact on both America and China. She created countless milestones in literature such as being one of the first women ever to receive a Noble Prize in Literature and a Pulitzer Prize, and acting as a mediator and uniting the two cultures of America and China through the various situations that she presents of life in China through her characters and various stories. I think that the reason she has left such a profound mark on literature is because of her ability to establish a connection with the audience. Being bi-cultural, Buck utilizes her first-hand experiences of life in China such as war, famine, and even traumatic murder experiences in order to fully convey the events that were occurring in China with the Great Depression of the United States. What makes her writing and themes so universal is that, it portrays the life experiences of people, with personal struggles and I think her themes have the capability to relate to any time period because everyone is able to relate to the hardships of others. Her ability to successfully connect with her audience on a personal level of experience with a completely foreign culture establishes her as one of the most impactful authors in literature in which modern-day writers aspire to achieve. â€Å"Buck’s Accomplishments have proven unique in military, political and literary history† (Taylor). Some even think that â€Å"We are very much in need of a twenty- first century Pearl Buck† (â€Å"A Life Lived in Interesting Times†). This further demonstrates the lasting influence that Buck’s literary work left during her time period, which some believe that â€Å"no one will ever be able to do again† (Taylor). Unfortunately, Pearl Buck died on March 6, 1973 of lung cancer at her home in Danby, Vermont (â€Å"Pearl S. Buck Biography†). Her work continues to live and is enjoyed by people all over the world today. Her deeds as an activist who strived for fairness among people and cultures are survived by the many people who are influenced by her contributions toward equality. She is recognized as a prominent author because of the major impact that she worked towards her whole life so that America would be able to share a culture and history with China. Despite her death, Buck has left her mark as a humanitarian and advocate who had the best interests of people in mind and a legendary writer who brought to America, a style of writing that will remain timeless in practically every age of literature. Works Cited Allen, Brooke. â€Å"A Life Lived in Interesting Times.† Hudson Review 3. 2010. eLibrary. Web. 12 Nov. 2012. â€Å"Buck, Pearl S.† Compton’s by Britannica, v 6.0. 2009. eLibrary. Web. 12 Nov. 2012. Campbell, Donna M. â€Å"Realism in American Literature.† Realism in American Literature. Department of English, Washington State University, 8 Sept. 2011. Web. 21 Dec. 2012. Frenz, Horst. â€Å"Pearl Buck- Biography.† Noble Prize. The Noble Foundation. Web. 12 Dec. 2012. Matterson, Stephen. â€Å"1860s-1900s Realism.† PBS. Educational Broadcasting Corporation, Mar. 2007. Web. 12 Dec. 2012. â€Å"Pearl S. Buck Biography.† Bio.com. A&E Networks Television. Web. 12 Dec. 2012. Taylor, Peter Shawn. â€Å"Pearl Buck to Pearl Harbor; How a much-loved novel won over Depression-era readers, erased Chinese stereotypes and helped bring war to the Pacific.† National Post. 15 Oct. 2012. eLibrary. Web. 12 Nov. 2012. â€Å"The Good Earth.† Barnes & Noble. Web. 12 Dec. 2012 â€Å"The Good Earth, 1931.† PBS. American Masters , The American Novel. Web. 21 Dec. 2012. White, Barbara. â€Å"Book Reviews: Pearl S. Buck: A Cultural Biography.† Contemporary Women’s Issues Database. 01 Jun. 1997. eLibrary. Web. 12 Nov. 2012. â€Å"Works of Pearl Buck: Pearl Buck.† MacMillan General Reference, 1963. eLibrary. Web. 12 Nov. 2012.

The Bicentennial Man

I would consider Andrew Martin that he became truly a human being. I think that Andrew has fulfilled the characteristics and personalities of a human being. These abilities are things that can only be observed in human, and these abilities are what makes human unique from other creatures. These abilities include consciousness, free will, emotions, feelings, mortality, and other things were all developed and possessed by Andrew. Although Andrew was made up of steels, it is not only the physical features that make us a human being. What more important is our inner features that make us human being; what a person thinks and expressing his actions determine his being. It is by expressing human freedom through his/her will that affirms his/her humanity. Andrew was able to learn and grows that made him fully understand what it is like being a human. It also portray that the used of â€Å"I† by Andrew that I think makes him truly a human being, it is because like what I’ve said he was able to assert his self and we all know that it is only human being who is capable of asserting oneself. In addition with that, it is Andrew’s will that defines his meaningfulness in becoming a human being. But we should also remember not to take for granted on our will; we must be responsible with everything we do, just like what Mr. Martin told Andrew after giving his freedom â€Å"you wish for freedom, you must accept the consequences†. It was Andrew’s will to obtain freedom and he must be responsible with it and accept the consequences.

Industrial Revolution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Industrial Revolution - Essay Example as the Industrial period that changed the face of society from an agrarian one to a society greatly dominated by industry and the manufacture of machines. As Burke puts it, "together with the Industrial Revolution came the modern expectation of progress and a better standard of living made possible by mens skills and the machines they invented...", and goes on to credit the Industrial Revolution with promoting both capitalism and giving birth to socialism among other things and that it changed society, making "modern urban society dependent on mass-production techniques without which we cannot now survive" (1998/1995, page 193). In his book â€Å"The Day the Universe Changed† James Burke gives us a philosophical view of the universe by telling us that our idea of the universe is how each one perceives it, so therefore if we change our perception of how we look at the universe, we have changed the universe itself. Burke goes on to tell us of all the advances in Science and technology and how they affected the lives of the people. Before the 1700s, metals such as copper, tin and brass were used but machines could not be made from them because they were very malleable or brittle. The only durable material was wood, but wooden gears got worn out very soon. Hence, an alternative such as iron came into vogue but to separate the iron from the rock a rudimentary process of smelting had to be used. After a lot of trial and error, the water wheel was devised in order to crank the bellows to produce power. That is why the ancient iron works were constructed near the rivers. Hence very soon things such as ploughs, screws, nails, gates, and swords were made from iron. Very soon there was a great demand for iron and mining turned out to be a huge business. Since the mines were below the water-line, they became flooded during the rains. Due to this there arose the necessity for something to pump the water out. This led to the invention of a steam engine. The very first Steam

Competitor Analysis Table Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Competitor Analysis Table - Essay Example Market Position Price 7. e-Zest Offshore software outsourcing company with expertise in outsourced product development and custom software development services through global software development model. Have offices in UK, USA, and India. e-Zest offers its services to ISVs/IT services, Healthcare, Finance, Manufacturing, Legal, Education, Sports, HR & Travel business verticals. e-Zest have dedicated Microsoft , Sun & Open Source Competency Centers which focus on solutions and services on based Microsoft .NET (2.0/3.0), Sun Java EE (2.0/5.0) & LAMP respectively NA 8. OOCI Based in Gujarat, India it provides various services like Web Designing, web Development, Software Development, Offshore Development, Yahoo Store Designing, Web Promotion, Multimedia Solution etc. Customized solution, Microsoft solution Technology (ASP.Net, VB.Net) NA S.No Competitor Name History and Size Summary of Services Market Position Price 9. Congruent Info-Tech Founded in 2000 as an offshore development center for Congruent Software Inc., headquartered in the United States. It supports Microsoft Dynamics (formerly Microsoft Business Solutions) products. Microsoft Dynamics Partners and clients for projects involving Microsoft Navision, Microsoft Solomon, Microsoft Great Plains, Microsoft CRM, and . Net. Congruent specializes in providing professional software development to independent solution vendors NA 10. Moga Services A privately owned company offering IT Consulting, Offshore Software Development services and IT staffing to various clients in the U.S. and Europe since 2001. Microsoft Dynamics CRM Microsoft Small Business Financials Microsoft Dynamics GP NA S.No Competitor Name History and Size Summary of Services Market Position Price 11. Benchmark Offshore...Become more agile, scaleable to match the size of the organization, Scalable and customizable. In December 2004, we launched eBECS Enterprise Distribution Call Centre Management (eDCCM), providing a truly integrated solution for companies that need seamless support through call centre to warehousing, logistics and distribution. Our first customer JJ Food Services achieved a phenomenal return on their investment using eDCCM and we are now rolling the solution out to our network of trusted partners around the world. In 2006, JJ Food Services as the first customer of eDCCM won the British Computer Society award for Best ERP Solution against such names as Car Phone Warehouse and ITV. In the same year eBECS was acclaimed as one of Britain's fastest growing tech companies in The Sunday Times Microsoft Tech Track.

Article response Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Response - Article Example These include the European Language Portfolio or ELP, American Lingua Folio, and Global Language Portfolio (GLP). The researchers on the portfolio assessment have been building on the work of Dewey (1933), which is titled, â€Å"We Thing: A restatement of relation of reflective thinking to education process.† He built basic premises, which are still evident in both ELP and GLP, and involves reflecting on and summarizing what has already done. The article provides an overview on how the EPs can be used to learn, teach and assess in the United States and Europe based on ELP, CEFR, GLP and American I.F. The EPs function is based on the national standards and ACTFL proficiency scale. There are several advantages that EPs has over paper based portfolio. The functionality of EPs allows the learner, teacher and program coordinator to track the progress of the program throughout the course duration. It allows the learner to share data with both the teacher and the institution. It improves motivation and evaluation of learners’ outcomes. Through the cooperation of scholars from Europe, North America and other parts the world, the effectiveness of EPs for language acquisition will be realized. As the transatlantic partnership grows and higher learning institutions do joint programs, the three-part EPs will be a common technology in Europe and North America. Advancement in technology will facilitate information sharing among international institutions and their joint programs. The Electronic Portfolio (EP) is a digitized collection of artifacts, which include demonstrations, resources and accomplishments representing an individual, group, organization, institution or community. According to Lorenzo & Ittelson (2005, p. 2), these collections can comprise of text-based documents, graphics, and multimedia features archived on websites or other electronic media such as CD-ROM or DVD. The above features make Electronic Portfolio to be the best in

The Descriptive Aspects of the Novel Silas Marner Essay - 7

The Descriptive Aspects of the Novel Silas Marner - Essay Example During the twentieth century, individuals considered their community very important. The local village or town provided emotional and material support to the community members. The community gives members a sense of identity, through community discussions and gatherings (Eliot, 1861). The third point shows appropriate character destiny in the story. The plot is viewed as mechanistic on several occasions because the major characters are given just rewards or punishments in the story. Godfrey, for example, succeeds in marrying Nancy but they remain childless. Also, Silas becomes the most popular person in the community and lives in total happiness after adopting Eppie. The moral order in the community is clearly stated in the novel plot. Despite living alone for a long time, Silas has a good heart. This is illustrated by his kind gestures towards adopting Eppie after her mother’s death. This moral behavior is adequately rewarded because the relationship between Silas and Eppie is good and they remain a happy family. The concept of faith and community are related as shown in the novel. The community initially rejects and isolates Silas; however, he is later on embraced by the same community due o his acceptable conduct in the society. When Silas reduced his fa ith in the community, he was isolated from key social organizations like the church (Eliot, 1861). The novel utilizes the natural world to develop metaphors and images. The isolation of Silas is compared to that of a spider which is a very solitary insect. Silas becomes confused after he is robbed. He is, therefore, compared to an ant that becomes confused when its pathway is blocked. The domestic space of Silas is intruded or disrupted in the novel. The isolation of Silas is ensured through the closure of his cottage, from other community members. Silas cottage becomes bright when he and Eppie become a happy family. Social class aspects feature  greatly in the story. The English society during the 19th century was socially stratified.  

Operation Pressure Point.The Drug Trade Problem Essay

Operation Pressure Point.The Drug Trade Problem - Essay Example (DEA, 2007) Fantino (2000), a former Chief of Police, states that the role of the policemen is to ensure the safety and security of the members of society against those who may wish it harm. The proliferation of drugs is certainly a threat to society and should be addressed in the soonest possible time. However, even with the many programs instituted by police agencies, the problem still lingers. Zimmer (1987) and the Vera Institute of Justice (1993) relate to us two police strategies that are conceptually effective but are actually insufficient. In the 1980's, the drug problem in the East Side was getting rampant to the point that sales and usage of the illegal substances were blatantly exposed on the streets. The Lower East Side became the proverbial drug addict's heaven as he had unlimited access to drugs with little or no threat of arrest. This state of affairs was the result of the declining capacity of the police to counter the problem due to budget cuts and decline in personnel (Smith, 1982). To counter the problem and to address the increasing community pressure, the Police Department launched Operation Pressure Point which involved the assignment of about 250 officers who conducted buy-bust operations, patrolling, boarding up of abandoned buildings and fencing of parks and vacant lots. Community involvement and improvements and prioritization of drug related complaints were also employed. According to the information gathered by Zimmer (1987), the operation succeeded in halting the blatant drug supermarket and was able to reduce the volume of drugs traded in the area. Nonetheless, Zimmer (1987) argues that the success of the operation was limited as the achievements were only superficial. Underneath the seeming improved situation lies still the drug problem as the trade still continues. To counter the increased police presence, drug dealers employed more lookouts, varied the time and venue of sales, sold in large quantities and made deals only with established clients. The result was that the availability levels were like before. In one of his later papers, Zimmer (1993) points out that the rationale behind the operation was the 'mass-arrest strategy' where the police believe that a major sweep of a drug-infested area could lead to the arrest of many drug dealers. This would ensure that the drug problem would be eliminated in that area. However, Zimmer (1993) argues that even though such strategy "destabilizes the market"; it also "creates opportunity for new people to come into the business". Replacements are not a problem especially in poor communities where "there is no shortage of people who are looking for this opportunity". Reading Zimmer (1987) reveals to us the complex problem of addressing the drug trade problem and breaks our notion that mass arrests could lead to the elimination of this threat. I find Operation Pressure Point praiseworthy because the methods were based on a range of consistent, integrated and comprehensive approaches appropriate to local problems but I also find it lacking in the sense that it was unable to realize that weeds should be pulled at its roots and not only at its stalk. From my point of view, the operation achieved only little because it did not provide for any methods to identify the main suppliers but instead focus on the low end dealers. Instead of focusing only the consumer side, they should also have broken the supply chain right from the

Nutritional Epidemiology (external validity) Essay

Nutritional Epidemiology (external validity) - Essay Example Some of the research design factors that affect the validity of research results and recommendations include; Hawthorne Effect, situation specifics such as treatment conditions, pre-test effects and post-test effects to the observation. This paper will discuss the external validity of three studies investigating the effect of micronutrients and vitamins on colorectal cancer development. To study the effect of combined folic acid, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12 on colorectal adenoma, Song et al (2012) used a subset of the Women’s Antioxidants and Folic acid Cardiovascular Study (WAFACS) (Song, et al, 2012). The design was a double blind randomized placebo controlled trial involving women professional at risk of developing cardiovascular disease. The inclusion criteria were age of above 40 years, postmenopausal, and a self reported cardiovascular disease of predisposing factors (Song et al, 2012). This study did not find statistically significant effect (protective or predisposing) of combined B vitamins in colorectal cancer contrary to some of the previous studies (Song et al, 2012). While the blinded approach of the study eliminates potential bias thus enhance its external validity, randomization introduces artificial effect that is not, in real life setting. The single sex specification of the study also limits its generalization across people when compared to the wider community, which is comprised of the two sexes. In real life predisposing risk factors affect both sexes in interactions that may be difficult to simulate in an experimental setup. The timing of the study though is one of the longest treatments and post-treatment follow up assessment (approximately nine years) is far from ecological reality. However, cardiovascular disease predisposing factor improves the generalization of the study to situations. Therefore, the findings of

Business Strategy of Google Company Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 4

Business Strategy of Google Company - Term Paper Example Corporate vision statement largely displays the direction of a company that it seeks to intent for achieving its set of objectives. The vision statement largely defines the possible future strategies of the organization. A good vision statement not only helps shareholders and customers but also seeks to induce a motivating effect on the employees of the organization (Fitzroy & Herbert, 2009, p.157). Google’s vision statement is reflected as a ten point strategic framework named as ten things. The ten point vision framework largely includes ensuring simplicity, innovation, and ethics (Google-a, n.d.). The core competency of Google is based on the aspect of the simplistic yet innovative nature of the product offering of the organization. Google core competencies lie in its ability to produce a diverse product with large-scale innovations that delight the users by the simple yet effective performance. The core competence of Google also comes from its unique search engine algorithm that has made it the most popular search engine of the web (Sugano, Goncalves & Figueira, 2009, p.57). The mission statement is a single and short statement that describes the purpose of existence of an organization (Kaplan, Norton & Barrows, 2008, p.3-4). The mission statement of Google is stated as follows: Google is a public company which has its shares listed on the bourses of the NASDAQ stock exchange. The stakeholders of Google include suppliers, government, trade associations, employees as well as the employee unions. The company aims to ensure the continued welfare of the shareholders and ensures a good return on their investments (Morrow, 2008).   PESTEL is a tool that can be used to analyze the external environment of an organization.

Quiz Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 7

Quiz - Assignment Example This will help out during fluctuation in the price of the securities in the portfolio. If data from the set of securities are gathered and plotted on a graph with annual rate of return on y-axis while standard deviation of the cost of the security on x-axis, there will be a region bounded by a curve sloping up. This curve is referred to as efficient frontier. The first characteristics is that the portfolios that gives the highest return are the one selected, this portfolio are the one that lies above the curve referred to as efficient frontier. Those points found above the efficient frontier gives the best return for the portfolio as opposed to those that are below sometimes referred to as submerged points. The second characteristics of efficient frontier is that it is a curve not s straight line. This is because the return securities in the portfolio are not same each security has its own level of return and risk associated to it (Hirt & Block, 1990). So any point found on this curve is the best alternative or asset to be included in the portfolio. Yes they do. First because they points in the frontier keeps on moving as time progresses the risk level and expected return changes. This will result to the point associated with that security moving upwards if the changes were favorable. Secondly efficient frontier depends on the number of securities in the portfolio, so if securities in a given portfolio are of good number there is a high chance of some points being on top of the efficient frontier. Yes it is possible if the bond has lower coupon rate hence longer period of payment. In bond duration refers to the weighted average period of time required before the actual cash flows starts to be received. The weighted average is not the nominal value of the cash flow but rather the present value. According to (Fabozzi, 2002) investors really need to know the duration for them to know or predict how the market price of bond will be affected by due to

Alcoholic beverage Essay Example for Free

Alcoholic beverage Essay Are children of alcoholics more likely to be alcoholics themselves? In answering the question, researchers sampled 451 people in Alcoholics Anonymous to see how many would say that one, or both, of their parents were alcoholics. People in AA used in the study currently attend AA somewhere in Ohio, Michigan, or Indiana and were asked by people in charge of the local AA programs to volunteer to fill out a survey. The research found that 77 percent of the respondents had at least one parent they classified as an alcoholic. The study also surveyed 451 people randomly from the same states who claim not to be heavy drinkers. Of the non-heavy drinkers, 23 percent would label at least one of their parents as alcoholic. 1. In your own words, please write the conclusion of this passage. – 3 points From this passage, it is concluded, that commonly, one or both parents of alcoholics are accounted as alcoholics too. Therefore, it means that usually, children of majority heavy drinkers are also become alcoholics. 2. Please identify the reasons used in this passage. – 3 points So, author gave several reasons in the form of facts such as questionnaire, for the conclusion above. They made two general surveys, where 451 alcoholics and 451 not alcoholic people were asked. For the first survey, results were justified expectations by 77% out of 100%. By this I mean, that approximately 347 of respondents from AA said that at least of their parents were alcoholics. However, for the next survey, only 23% of whole respondents, who were out from AA approved that one or both their parents were drinkers. 3. What are some weaknesses in the argument, in your opinion? – 5 points There are some weaknesses in this argument. First, all participants of this study were from only three states, there are Ohio, Michigan, and Indiana. It is not sufficient to claim, that it happens all around the world. Secondly, they wrote about non-heavy drinkers too, moreover, from the study, there are alcoholic parents in their family. Consequently, the argument against the fact. 4. What would be an appropriate title for this passage? – 3 points The basic reason of becoming alcoholics is alcoholic parents. 5. Do you think children of alcoholics are more likely to be alcoholics themselves? Explain why. – 6 points Sure, this might be possible claim, because, that kind of children ( with alcoholic parents) live with heavy drinkers from birth. Even, they would be brought up with alcoholics, or it is also possible that they will not have enough attention from their mothers and fathers, so it is more likely, that they will have a bad behavior from their childhood. Although, from my point of view, having a mother or father, who are drinks a lot is not sufficient cause of becoming alcoholic individual. There are other numerous reasons for being dependent on alcohol, such as impatience, being nervous, addicting to bad habits, mental or moral instability and so on. In addition to that, on the contrary, according to the survey, which is done for us, there are still many people who are not depend on their parents, and if their parents are heavy drinkers, it doesn’t affected on them. To conclude, we cannot label the person like alcoholics, just if their parents are alcoholics.

Hrm is more important in current economic climate business essay

Hrm is more important in current economic climate business essay The main purpose of this essay is to examine how the existing or present economic situation which led to firms trying to beat each other in business has made the role of HRM significant in achieving business success. In evaluating this statement, Armstrong (2003) sees the main role of HRM in this present economic climate as being how to carefully devise a plan of action which will be used to achieve a goal, as well as the logical way through which business organisations can manage their employees through HRM so as to achieve business success. The author of this essay observed that in this current economic climate, countries such as the United States, United Kingdom etc. are recovering from depression and inflation which led to loss of so many jobs, and increased competition in the recruitment process, thereby making it possible for HRM functions to be more important in order to achieve business success (source: Survey of Global HR Challenges, 2005). While Pendleton (2011) argued that in the face of this current economic climate, if HRM functions are not properly implemented people will be losing good jobs with better pay due to downsizing in different organisations and start taking up jobs with lesser pay because economic climate will detect salary/pay to be received by employees. McKenna and Beech (2008) emphasise that these HRM functions include; recruitment which involves the proper advertisement of job so as to attract the proper/right applicants, then comes the selection of the best candidates among all the candidates that applied for the job, and proper training of the employee is said to add value to them and the work they do so as to bring about business organisation success and on the other hand, the employees will be rewarded accordingly for their contribution to the growth of the organisation. Armstrong (2003) further indicated that the main aim of HRM is to gain business success in an organisation through the people employed in that business organisation. Som (2008) implied that HRM functions will ensure that organisations attract, retain, motivate and also develop its human resources in accordance with the organisations demand. Ulrich and Brockbank (2005) argued that HRM plays an important role in seeing that every business organisation achieves success through the proper implementation of its functions, and by applying those functions with the necessary information technology system such as the internet. Wachira (2010) suggested that HR managers ought to apply new technologies that will enable them communicate easily with other managers in the organisation so as to reduce the cost incurred during recruitment and also select the proper candidate for a particular job. Though in some developing countries, organisations may not have the technical capability to handle this t ype of recruitment and selection process and this will negatively affect such organisations (Source: CIPD survey report, 2007). It is being argued that there are challenges encountered by HR managers in the day to day management of human resources in an organisation which may result from political, environmental, economic as well as social effects, and this is said to be because of the high level of responsibility bestowed on the HR manager in this current economic situation (source: Survey of global HR challenges, 2005). Jackson and Schuler (1995) sees these as external environmental pressures which can be positive or negative, such as tax exemptions and conducive business environment used to encourage local businesses and allow them to compete favourably in business with their counterpart from other countries so as to enable them retain their existing manpower/employees through their HRM functions or political instability/uprising which discourage foreign organisations/companies from investing in a country thereby creating unemployment, affecting business success and the countrys economic growth negatively. Brewster et al (2005) also argued that in most developed countries of the world such as United Kingdom, United states etc. HRM functions will definitely be affected by political, legal, and social environmental pressure/factors either positively or negatively. This is said to be due to the fact that every business organisation operates under the framework of the law in the environment where the business is located. For example, in Libya, international companies such as British Petroleum (BP) is being affected by political and social unrest in that country, this has affected the operation of so many other companies in Libya and on the other hand reduced business success and government revenue, while Japanese car manufacturing companies in United Kingdom are all doing well and achieving business success due to the favourable political, social and legal environment they established their organisation (source: BBC news, 22/02/2011). Som (2008) argued that the positive performance of an o rganisation in this current economic situation will depend mostly on HRM functions of staff selection, training/development and incentives/compensation. Beardwell and Holden (2001) observed that before now some changes took place in the economic situation of the United Kingdom (UK) in relation to how people are being employed to work, in compliment to what is obtainable in the United States (US). This is said to be caused by economic pressure existing at that period which resulted from increase in competition, recession, and emergence of new technology, which on the other hand created employment, increased employee training and development so as to enable them master the new technology, which will improve their skill and also enable the organisation achieve business success. Though Kinnie et al (2000) argued that the inability of HR managers to properly train its employees will lead to low productivity and low customer satisfaction which will also affect business success and employee relationship with the organisation negatively. Beardwell and Holden (2001) also emphasise that increased competition tried to change the old method of H R and this made it possible for organisations to develop a new method of employment that will be employer friendly/oriented. This policy helped in directing the method of recruitment and selection so as to employ the right people needed for the organisation to arrive at its business success. Although it is also observed that this method of employment will lead to unemployment because very few people with the required skills will be employed by the organisation. Kulkarni (2008) implied that increased competition and globalisation has made it possible for most organisations to adopt uninterrupted learning and training of its employees through the human resource management department. This is said to enable the organisation to satisfy its employees and customers needs and on the other hand achieve business success. Notwithstanding the continuous learning and training adopted by most organisations, Varma (2008) argued that some organisations now concentrate more on what to gain from an employee without considering how to add value to such employee through training and development. It is then emphasised that an organisations aim should be directed towards employee and customer satisfaction through purposeful HRM strategy implementation which will result to profit maximisation as well as business success for such organisation McKenna and beach (2008) emphasized that at the beginning of the economic recession of the 1980s which changed the role of trade unions resulting to little or no strike action, made it possible for organisations to be able to change their staff with ease. This is not only said to be caused by unemployment and recession but also from the introduction of some new laws that reduced the power of trade unions by controlling strike action, which is said to have affected business success negatively because employees will not be motivated to give their best. It is being argued by Deen and Giri (2008) that employees are the biggest assets of an organisation and should be encouraged and motivated through the organisations HRM activities/functions which can provide emotional support, training and development, financial rewards etc. that will make it possible for the employees to do their work with full commitment. This is argued to result to organisations business success because the employees will feel valued and being cared for, thereby contributing positively to the organisation. McKenna and Beech (2008) also noted that the weakness in the power of trade unions is said to signal the need for less elaborate process in collective bargaining and conflict management, which also resulted in a faster way of negotiating settlement of wages. In addition to the foregoing, organisations were better positioned to make changes in work practices which resulted into an increase in productivity as well as a decrease in the number of people employed. Changes in the practice of HR were observed because of the large pool of available labour. A good example is said to be the emphasis being switched from recruitment to selection, which led to the selection of the right people for the job so as to achieve business success which will on the other hand increase unemployment because not every applicant will be selected. It is being argued by McKenna and Beech (2008) that the reduced volume of negotiations which is based on collective bargaining between labour unions and human resource specialists, including the reduction in time committed to recruitment and selection, which helped to provide HRM with the opportunities to manage employee layoff programmes and enter into negotiations so as to bring about low wage settlements, and this is said not to favour employees because of the low wage they will be receiving and it will also discourage them from giving their best to the work they do. Goel (2008) emphasise that in this current economic situation, HRM will require a cybernetic scheme of information management so as to enable an organisation gather, store, examine and disseminate information that concerns the organisations human resource management functions of recruitment and selection so as to help the organisation manage employee redundancy and negotiation programmes. Though, Goel (2008) also argu ed that without a good human resource management information system, an organisation will find it difficult to access information about its employees both old and new, as well as those seeking to work for the organisation. It is then said that an organisation will choose a HRM information system that will satisfy its information management needs if such an organisation wants to achieve business success. Davi (2008) contend that increased competition has made the role of HRM to be faced with challenges of handling management modification, managing organisational culture, dealing with leadership training and growth, measuring the strength of HRM and employee environment, designing employee engagement, dismissal as well as compensation. And to take care of these challenges, Pinnington and Edwards (2000) advised that HR managers should try and discover the main problems, analyse it and provide solutions to it through the use of HRM and performance strategies. McKenna and Beech (2008) argued that in considering organisation of reasonable size, which implies a big organisation, it is possible to find a HRM function just as one would expect to see in a finance or marketing function where specialisation of duties exists and the management team tries as much as possible to achieve organisational goal/objective. While in the smaller organisation, it is said that the level of specialisation may not prevail because the HRM function is being performed by the manager who handles HRM matters. It is observed by the author that the big organisation where specialisation exists will tend to achieve more business success than the small organisation with no specialisation. Though, it is being argued by Bhattacharya (2008) that it will be improper for human resource department of any organisation whether big or small, to assure employees of retaining them in the organisation when such employees are being seen for example by the accounts department as a lia bility. Therefore, Pendleton (2011) emphasise that the HRM department should work hand-in-hand with other departments in the organisation so as to determine employees that can be classified as asset to the organisation and retain those employees because they will help the organisation in achieving business success. According to McKenna and Beech (2008) human resource planning process is concerned with the function of matching organisational demand for quantity and quality of employees with the available supply. This demand is said to be derived from the current and forecast level of company operations, while the supply side is said to consist of human resources that is available both internally and externally. Foot and Hook (2005) observed that an organisation unmistakeably needs to be sure that they have the right staff so as to attain the needed level of competitiveness. These staff are said to be employed by the organisation through their recruitment process by assessing their internal human resource supply. This is said to involve a process through which an organisation takes into account the number of its employees as well as their duties and responsibilities, including their skills so as to enable the organisation compete favourably in order to achieve business success. McKenna and Beech (2008) argued that the internal supply consists of the exiting workforce and its potential to contribute to business success, which has been a target for systematisation in recent years. While the external supply is said to reside in the population outside the organisation and it is influenced by demographic trends, developments in education as well as competitive forces in the labour market, and this is said to be observed within the European Union (EU) where competition is common because every organisation want to achieve business success. McKenna and Beech (2008) emphasise that prior to staff recruitment, job analysis is undertaken, and this is said to involve examining the work to be undertaken by a candidate which results in the preparation of a job description, which produces a specification about the attributes a suitable candidate will need so as to perform the job. McKenna and Beech (2008) also implied that a variety of techniques such as the application form, interviews, tests and assessment centres are all available in selecting the best candidates from a pool of applications. It is mentioned that a shortlist of applicants will be produced as a first step in the selection process which will then lead to training of the applicants, and it is concerned with establishing what type of training is required and to which applicant so as to add value to the candidates and also achieve business success as the candidates work for the organisation. It is further emphasised by Kulkarni (2008) that notwithstanding the bene fits of organisations recruitment, learning and training through HRM, employees are said to be faced with tension of accomplishing business goal/objective in this current economic climate than ever before. Also employees are said to be facing the problem of having to do more work as a result of the training given to them. Although, it is said that some organisations though their HRM can take care of these problems by conducting stress management seminars and training on how to cope with tension at the workplace (Pendleton, 2011). Armstrong (2003) explained that HRM functions will bring about an integrated approach towards the development of human resource strategies or plans which will enable an organisation to achieve its goals thereby leading to success in the organisations business, but when the strategy is not properly implemented the business may collapse. Organisation strategy according to Foot and Hook (2005) are said to function with those plans of action that an organisation makes so as to take care of future occurrences and these plans are targeted at answering the basic economic question of what to do as well as how to do it. Armstrong (2003) on the other hand sees strategic HRM function as an approach used in making decisions on the intentions and plans of the organisation as it concerns the employment relationship as well as the organisations recruitment, training, development, performance management, reward and employee relations strategies, policies and practices, which if not properly implemen ted will result in business failure. According to Nachimuthu (2008) increased competition in the face of the current economic climate has made it possible for organisations that share some business strategy in common to merger together and become one organisation so as to enable them achieve more business success. Nachimuthu (2008) further implied that HR plays a vital role when organisations want to go into merger and acquisition, and the HR function is said to involve retaining some of the existing employees that will be considered as asset to the organisation through the use of HRM strategies to carry out employee assessment that will select and integrate them into the new organisation. Foot and Hook (2005) also emphasise that in order to ensure success in the business of any organisation, HRM strategy must be incorporated in all other departments of an organisation such as finance department, sales department, marketing department etc. and they must work hand-in-hand with the human resource department in the aspect of recruitment, manpower development and training so as to achieve business success. Not only is HR functions beneficial during merger and acquisition, but also it is being argued by Nachimuthu (2008) that when two organisations or more merge together, HRM will be faced with the problem of organisations cultural integration, communication between employees, appraisal and selection of managers/leaders, keeping of valuable employees as well as how to carry out compensation and welfare program in the newly formed organisation. Though, it is emphasised by Pinnington and Edwards (2000) that these problems can be taken care of or solved through a well-planned and implemented HRM strategy which will involve selection of the right employees, performance, appraisal, development and rewards. Hutchinson and Purcell (2003) noted that strategic HRM is functional through focusing on actions that differentiate a business organisation from its competitors. While on the other hand, Armstrong (2003) said that it develops a declaration of purpose which defines the means to achieve ends, and it is concerned with the long term allocation of significant company resources as well as matching those resources and capabilities to the external environment. Strategy is therefore said to serve as a perspective on the way in which critical issues or success factors can be addressed, and this strategic decisions is aimed at making a major and long-term impact on the behaviour and success of the organisation (Armstrong, 2003). According to Armstrong (2003), when considering strategic HRM, it is said to be necessary to address the extent to which human resource strategic measures should take into account the interest of all the stakeholders in an organisation, employees in general, as well as the owners and management. Storeys (2007), argued that soft strategic HRM places more emphasize on how to manage people in terms of ensuring them employment security, training, development and work benefits etc. while Hard Strategic HRM on the other hand will consider the benefit to be derived by investing in human resources in the interest of the business achieving its business success. In this situation, a well-planned soft and hard strategic HRM will guarantee business success in the sense that organisational objectives/directions, its choice of employees and how they are managed will be considered (Legge, 2005). Armstrong (2003) also emphasise that the rationale for strategic HRM is the perceived advantage of having an agreed as well as understood basis for developing approaches to people in the longer term, and this will enable an organisation achieve competitive advantage by allowing such an organisation to utilize its opportunities. On the other hand, Hamel and Prahalad (1998) argued that a firm cannot achieve competitive advantage unless the firm develop its human resource by training them so that they can learn more work techniques which they will use in working for the firm so as to beat their competitors. It is also said that one of the clear benefits that will arise from competitive advantage as a result of effective management of people is that such an advantage is hard to imitate by an organisations competitors (Pendleton, 2011). Organisations strategies, policies and practices are said to be a unique blend of processes, procedures, personalities, styles, capabilities and organisational culture, which differentiates what the business organisation supplies to its customers from those supplied by its competitors and it is said to be achieved by having human resource strategies which ensures that the firm has higher quality people than its competitors (Armstrong, 2003). Organisations challenges can be handled by redefining HRM strategies so as to sustain competitive advantage on investment in human resources, by so doing HR managers must have the core competence to deal with changes in economic situations, social effects and technology which affects the organisation by being able to discover important issues affecting the organisation and providing solutions through development and training (Source: Survey of global HR challenges, 2005). It is being emphasised by Armstrong (2003) that the aim of a resource-based approach to HRM is to improve resource capability by achieving fit between resources and opportunities as well as obtaining added value from the effective deployment of resources. Cesyniene (2008) noted that recruitment process will definitely be challenging in some fields where there is existence of dearth skills in the labour market. Armstrong (2003) also observed that in line with the intellectual capital theory used to analyse HRM, the resource-based theory of HRM emphasise that investment in people adds to their value to the firm or organisation. Therefore the author understands that when an organisation invests in its employees by training them for example, they tend to add value to the organisation by working to achieve business success for that particular organisation. More so Boxall (2011) argued that it is by hiring and developing more talented staff and by extending their skills base that an organi sation will achieve success in its business. It has been observed that a resource-based strategy for HRM is therefore concerned with the enhancement of the intellectual capital of the firm/organisation, which implies that seeing a business firm in terms of what it is capable of doing may offer a more durable basis for strategy in HRM than considering the needs which the business seeks to satisfy (Armstrong, 2003). The author of this essay tends to emphasise that a business can achieve success if it has the strategic capabilities/or plans to compete favourably with others in the same line of business not minding the present economic situation. Cesyniene (2008) argued that the deficiency in the number of qualified workers as well as increase competition will make it possible for HR managers to change from Hard to Soft HRM which will put into consideration the needs of employees so as to sustain competitive advantage. While Kamoche (2000) explained that the basis of this resource capability approach to HR strategy will be the reco gnition of the available manpower in the organisation, which is claimed that it will develop and provide a single model for strategic HRM to function better. Although Jackson and Schuler (1995) also argued that in this situation, firms will try to gain competitive advantage by using human resources through development and training in order to add value to their employees so as to match the nature of the organisations relationships with their customers and employees. According to Armstrong (2003) the key feature of strategic HRM function is the concept of fit or integration, which is also known as matching model. Malik (2009) explained that this matching model helps to bring about strategic integration in an organisation, by combining HRM strategic functions and organisations strategy together and channelling them towards the same strategic direction in order to achieve business success when they are being implemented. Legge (2005) argued that organisation strategy and strategic HRM sometimes does not seem to be appropriate to each others context. A good example can be seen in the downsizing exercise undertaken by some organisations during the last economic meltdown or recession which is not in contrast with human resource management strategy and it discouraged employees thereby bringing about poor performance of such an organisation (Pendleton, 2011). Bowen and Ostroff (2004) argued that merely having good HRM policies is unlikely to be sufficient enough to motivate employees and derive organisational performance so as to achieve business success; hence there is the need to go beyond HRM content and consider HRM process. Fey (2000) suggested that organisations ought to concentrate on HRM patterns of employee development and training at all levels of its management and employees. McKenna and Beech (2008) implied that HRM functions must have the purpose of meeting organisational objectives which will lead to enhancing service provision to its customers, quality, profitability or efficiency of its services/goods. Though, Fey (2000) also argued that there is no relationship existing between HRM Practices and organisational performance in relation to employee training and development. Therefore in this current economic climate, Hutchinson and Purcell (2003) observed that increased competition has really made the HRM functions more important to the success of business than ever before. This is said to be because of the fact that HRM now covers the activities of recruitment and employment which calls for the proper selection of those to be employed, manpower planning involving management of the available work force, employee training and management development resulting to coaching, training and guidance which add value to employees so as to support them on taking more responsibilities, organisational planning and development that helps to achieve organisation effectiveness, wage and salary administration through management and monitoring reward in the organisation and also recognising employee contribution, health and safety benefits and services which helps to maintain work-life balance by building a good working relationship between the organisation and the emplo yee, union management relations and personnel research which may result to outsourcing so as to obtain service from an outside supplier either to train its employees or work for the organisation (Hutchinson and Purcell, 2003). By taking closer look at these HRM functions, Pinnington and Edwards (2000) stressed that there has been an increase on the functions given to the HR manager unlike before, and if these functions or responsibilities are well implemented by the HR manager, there will be a tendency in which the success of the business organisation will definitely be arrived at and the business organisation will grow in all ramification. But the author observed that in a situation where these functions are being neglected, business success may not be achieved and the business will suffer.

William Faulkner: The Postmodern Perspective

William Faulkner: The Postmodern Perspective Many critics consider William Faulkner a modernist writer, citing the time period between the 1930s and 40s as the era in which he wrote himself into and out of modernism. Indeed, Faulkners novels during these years reflect many of the typical aspects of modernist literature, and it is incontrovertibly innovative and unique. However, Faulkner appears to be doing more than what the Modernists were employing at the time, especially in the context of his experimentation with language. In fact, the great Southern writer appears to more so on the road to Postmodernism in his later works than anything. During this period between the 30s and the 40s what critics call Faulkners modernist epoch his writing also seems to flow with Lacans poststructural theories of language. Beginning with The Sound and the Fury in late 1929, Faulkner begins his journey through the Lacanian Mirror Stage, aware of the linguistic Imaginary. His effort to craft the imagined world of Yoknapatawpha reflects his ea rly Modernist self in Lacans Imaginary order stage, marking his uncomfortable attitude towards his alienation from the South he once knew. Quentin, whom most critics see as a double to Faulkner, is the incarnation of Faulkners attitude, and his multiple appearances in Faulkners novels marks the stage in Lacans process of linguistic development each time. The age ends with the authors fulfillment of the Lacanian journey, with nowhere to turn but back. Absalom, Absalom! and Afternoon of a Cow prove Faulkners acceptance of the impossibility of Lacans Real, highlighted by a writing style which could be characterized as transitionally postmodernist. Faulkners modernist/postmodernist identity crisis between the 30s and 40s occurs during the authors Lacanian development in language and thought, ending with the recognition of literatures inability to break the symbolic ceiling. While it would be incredibly shortsighted and undoubtedly wrong to refer to The Sound and the Fury as underdeveloped and not modern, the novel is nevertheless Faulkners most immature piece of literature in the context of Lacanian development. Here, Faulkner begins his troubles with language as he is initially trapped in the Imaginary stage. John T. Irwin, in his essay on Doubling and Incest in Faulkners literature, suggests that Faulkner created the character of Quentin as an unconsciously double of himself. Irwin purports that Faulkners own comments about the novel support this parallel between him and Quentin, especially his recognition of his own failures in literature and fate to retell the same stories (Irwin 280). While most critics point to Caddy as the focus of the novel because of her role as the absent center, a Lacanian reading of the text implies that the absent center is actually Faulkner himself since he puts so much of himself into Quentin (and some of the other charac ters as well, though it is most prevalent here). Quentins chapter, which becomes progressively more self-reflexive and anxious, reveals Faulkners own worries and discontent with language. It ends with his ultimate alienation from everyone and everything Quentins suicide which is how Lacan explains the mirror stage as ending. Lacan describes the completion of the mirror stage as the formation of the Ego through subjectification, during which a person undergoes a conflict between his or her own perception of the self and the actual self through experience Lacan refers to this result as alienation (Evans 110). Quentin has undergone this discovery of his own reality that which others have defined him to be and his perception of himself. As Irwin suggests, It is tempting to see in Quentin a surrogate of Faulkner, a double who is fated to retell and reenact the same story throughout his life just as Faulkner seemed fated to retell in different ways the same story again and again (Irw in 281). His death signifies Faulkners assessment of his own fate. He predicts literary failure for himself due to the inability of language fully express everything he attempts to convey. This marks Faulkners first encounter with the futility of language, and his first step in Lacanian development. Through this inner conflict, Faulkner associates with Quentin, and other characters like him. Indeed, he puts a part of himself in every character that he creates, but characters like Quentin best serve as literary representations of him when considering his troubles with language. Lacan holds that in the beginningà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦we exist as part of one continuous totality of being. In this early stage of development, we experience noà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦sense of difference, and, precisely for this reason, the [subject] has no sense of a separate identityà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦there is no I and no other, and, Lacan insists, the two concepts come into existence together (Duvall and Abadie 98). Faulkners state at this point in his literary development is such as Lacan defines it. He has no sense of difference between himself and his work, and therefore he meshes himself with Quentin and his other characters. However, his own repressions appear in Quentins thoughts and words, and Faulkner is unaware o f the amount of similarities between himself and the character. Faulkner revised the introduction [to The Sound and the Fury] several times. In its final version, in which Faulkner doubles Quentins own words in the novel: So I, who had never had a sister and was fated to lose my daughter in infancy, set out to make myself a beautiful and tragic little girl' (Irwin 283). It is clearly through his own connection with Quentin that he learns how to connect with this novel, but the relationship that he develops with the character ultimately blurs the line between himself and Quentin. Faulkner can see the gap between language and reality, but he cannot seem to assure the differentiation between himself and his creations. A year later, Faulkner published his next novel, As I Lay Dying, in which he continues the linguistic struggles and development with the Bundren family. As Terrell Tebbetts suggests, each of the Bundren children suffers his or her own issue with language: Cash can only express himself through lists and figures, and though he seems perceptive at the end by explaining what happened to Darl, Cash recognizes Darls problems with language but presumes that they the fault of Darl, not language (Tebbetts 128-130). But it is better so for [Darl]. This world is not his world; this life his life (Faulkner 149). Cash speaks with a perception that is Faulknerian, as it reflects William Faulkners prediction of his own fate. In this novel, he connects most with Darl through their shared discontent with the shortcomings of language. Darls linguistic troubles are the most serious, as he isolates himself through his inability to express his feelings. His problems cause him to lose his identity, repeatedly asking things about himself such as who am I. Early in the novel, Vardaman asks what Darls mother is (Vardaman describes his mother as a fish), and Darl remarks that he does not have one. I havent got ere one, Darl said. Because if I had one, it is was. And if it was, it cant be is. Can it?' (Faulkner 58). Darls concept of language is that it describes reality, and only reality. He perceives that he does not have a mother because she is dead (hence, the was), yet what he really means is that he no longer has a mother. However, he gets so lost in his attempts to conceptualize this that he arrives at the decision that he does not have a mother. As alluded to earlier, these troubles affect his own identity. I dont know what I am. I dont know if I am or not. Jewel knows he is, because he does not know that he does no t know whether he is or not. He cannot empty himself for sleep because he is not what he is and he is what he is not (Faulkner 46). Darl has entered the mirror stage along with Faulkner, and he is thus aware of the conflicts between his own perceptions and the perceptions of others. Darl is highlighting the gap between the signifier and the signified in language, as Lacan calls it. Darl is our brother, our brother Darl. Our brother Darl in a cage in Jackson where, his grimed hands lying light in the quiet interstices, looking out he foams (Faulkner 146). He has been incredibly objective internally, seeing himself in an omniscient, third-person perspective, but this is a result of the inability to reconcile the real him and the him that others perceive him to be (the Lacanian signifier is their Darl, the signified is the real Darl). Therefore, he becomes the best example in the novel of a character that, by passing through the mirror stage and entering the Symbolic Realm, alienates himself completely (even within himself). Darl is also, then, the most connected with Faulkner, since he becomes aware of the failure of language to ever say what one means (Duvall and Abadie 39). Darl reflects what his mother discovered much earlier: words are no good; that words dont ever fit even what they are trying to say at (Faulkner 99). Addie also saw the gap between experience and language, which proves Coras statement that Darl has the most in common with Addie, but her troubles are more connected with the patriarchality of language, and therefore not as connected with Faulkner as Darl. Also, Addies death is another example of what Faulkner sees as the futility of efforts to connect reality and language. Likewise, despite Darls evolution from the Mirror Stage into the Symbolic Stage, his fate commitment to an insane asylum provides more evidence to prove that Faulkner saw no way to prevent these linguistic troubles from alienating and ultimately destroying his characters and himself. Therefore, Faulkner is still undoubtedly a Modernist at this point, as well as underdeveloped in the progression of Lacanian development, because he sees no escape from such a fate at this point. He would say that language is a hindrance more than a help. Darl masters lan guage internally, but he cannot apply it in reality, thus showing the gap between language and experience a modernist idea: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the wholeness of the image threatens the subject with fragmentation, and the mirror stage thereby gives rise to an aggressive tension between the subject and the image. In order to resolve this aggressive tension, the child identifies with the imageà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ The moment of identification, when the subject assumes its image as its own, is described by Lacan as a moment of jubilation, since it leads to an imaginary sense of masteryà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦however, this jubilation may also be accompanied by a depressive reactionà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Evans 115) While Faulkner would not have known the psychological theories of Lacan, the characters of Quentin and Darl seem to fit the characterization of these issues well. However, these two characters are unable to come to terms with their image. While the end of Quentins chapter does not end with his suicide, we learn later that he takes his own life because he foresees no escape. Likewise, Darls uncontrollable laughter at the end of As I Lay Dying is his moment in which he has the opportunity to identify with one part of his fragmented self but proves unable to do so. Darls problem is also left unsolved, as his internal self argues within, demanding an explanation for his false triumph. They are both aware of their precarious states with language. Additionally, the mirror stage is where the subject becomes alienated from itself, and thus is introduced into the Imaginary order. Clearly both characters have entered this stage and find themselves completely alienated from themselves and the w orld. Terrell Tebbetts claims that Vernon Tull is the only character in the novel that can come to terms with this problem, resorting to the constant use of like in his descriptions and an employment of similes while talking (Tebbetts 130). Tebbetts is misled, however, because Tull is actually a Modernist character. By using similes to draw comparisons between things he is attempting to define, he is still grasping for the ideal that Modernists spent their careers trying to reach. Instead, a Postmodernist would take advantage of language rather than constantly highlight its failures (as I will discuss later). Tebbetts believes that Vernon Tull is Faulkners way of saying that the way out of the problem is acceptance, but the solution is more complicated than simple recognition. Besides, characters like Darl, Addie, and Quentin all understood the gap between language and reality, which drove them to their own forms of alienation. As I Lay Dying also features a level of intended humor that is classified as dark, or black, humor. One of the best examples of dark comedy in the novel is when we find Addie Bundren propped up on a pillow in order to watch as Cash constructs her coffin. Then [Addie] raises herself, who has not moved in ten daysà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦She is looking out the window, at Cash stooping steadily at the board in the failing lightà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦He drops the saw and lifts the board for her to see, watching the window in which the face has not moved (Faulkner 28). This moment evokes immediate laughter because Cash, the oldest child of the family, seems like a proud pet retrieving its catch of the day for his master. Likewise, everyone sees the grotesque and gaunt figure of Addie rise as if from the dead in order to view her burial chamber and then return to her former position, seemingly in approval. Even more dark comedy lies in Faulkners intended criticism of the other characters views toward each o ther. Every character that makes a negative comment about another is later shown to be hypocritical, being strange and quirky in his or her own way. Elements of Faulkners early novels, especially As I Lay Dying, show that the author was on the road to self-reflexivity and metafiction. Much of the Addie chapter, through its hypercritical look at the failure of language, is self-reflexive because it is actively commenting on the words and ideas presented in the novel, yet the self-conscious elements seem only present through implication. Faulkner never reaches his potential (or becomes fully aware of what he was doing) with the element of self-reflexivity until Absalom, Absalom! and Afternoon of a Cow. In his novels until then, Faulkner also had a preoccupation with what Modernists referred to as the attempt to make it new, trying to experiment with literature and attempting things unseen before. He is first in the Mirror Stage, looking at the traditional novel with its content, form, mimetic philosophy of language, and decides that he needs to break from tradition. Then he enters the next stage the Symbolic and attempts to creat e new and modern literature. While in this stage, though, he realizes the futility of language, and that everything he attempts fails. Faulkner repeatedly tries to achieve literary transcendence, but all he writes is merely a symbol of what he truly intends. It is not until Absalom, Absalom! that he not only accepts his state and failure, but he knowingly plays with the postmodern techniques and ideas. In the novel, Faulkner uses language to do what Lacan says it does reflect the condition of the alienated subject, the fractured self (Moreland 47). Nothing Faulkner attempts attains the literary transcendence for which he has been searching, and so he realizes this, comes to terms with it, and makes fun of this problem. Faulkners movement through the Lacanian linguistic progression led him prematurely to postmodernism. While he thought he was being modern by experimenting, he was actually employing many elements that surpassed the realm of modernism. As I Lay Dying was his first clear transitional work, in which it marked a road from modern to postmodern literature, as the novel hinges between the two genres itself (although, as mentioned before, it should be classified as a modern text if it must be categorized. Faulkner resists many of the modernist techniques and philosophies, but his break from the movement was not clean, as he continued to inscribe them. Patrick ODonnell agrees with this, aware of the presence of transitory texts: Yet, there are moments in the works of the high-modernist authors I have mentioned that work beyondà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦that rupture its bonds (ODonnell 34). His example from Faulkner is the way in which some of his novels attempt to shatter the connectionà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦bet ween attempting to transcend the past, and being condemned to repeat it (34). This struggle with the past no longer seems to be an issue once Faulkner writes Absalom, Absalom! although it had been a focus of his earlier novel, The Sound and the Fury. ODonnell agrees that the later works of William Faulkner present more significant breaks from modernism, suggesting that Go Down, Moses is actually a postmodern rewrite of Absalom, Absalom! (36). However, Faulkners work after that became much more conservative, reverting to the modernist tendencies which he displayed at the beginning of his career. Even a quick reading of Absalom, Absalom! in comparison to Faulkners early novels reveals large differences between the styles. Much like his presentations of characters in previous novels, Faulkner puts elements of himself into his characters; however, in this novel, he purposely employs a self-reflexive concentration in order to create metafiction. It is here that Faulkner stops concerning himself with epistemology and instead with ontology. Faulkner operates the text differently in Absalom, Absalom! in the way that he exerts absolute control over every aspect of the story and creates a commentary on language and fiction. ODonnell refers to Faulkner not as the author of the text of Absalom, Absalom! but as the unseen drop that falls into a pool of water and gives rise to a series of ripples, borrowing from Quentins own words in the novel (Weinstein 31). In other words, he becomes the catalyst for the things that naturally occur. Faulkner puts enough of himself into the novel that e verything he has put into place takes over for him. From this, he no longer stresses or frets over the futility of language; instead, he allows it to take over. The metafictional aspect of Absalom, Absalom! lies in the unique structure and writing style. Unlike his previous endeavors, Faulkner dares to tell a story within the story a story about storytelling. The act of telling a story is artistic because the narrator imposes his or her own will upon it, and it is therefore subjective as well. Previously he is unaware of the subjective nature of language, and now he not only accepts it, but he employs it as well (his primary narrator has a subjective viewpoint unlike what he has done previously). His approach in this novel allows him to have fun with it, thus achieving postmodern status and completing his Lacanian development. Examples of the metafictional aspects in the novel appear most often during the sections focusing on or narrated by Quentin and Mr. Compson. In chapter four, Mr. Compson tells his son, people too as we are, but victims of a different circumstance, simpler and therefore, integer for integer, larger, more heroic and the figures therefore more heroic too, not dwarfed and involved but distinct, uncomplexà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦author and victim too of a thousand homicides and a thousand copulationsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Perhaps you are right. Perhaps any more light than this would be too much for it (Faulkner 90). This is perhaps the most problematic examples of metafiction in the novel because of its focus. While, indeed, it involves Mr. Compson commenting on literature through criticizing a story, it is also taking a Modernists perspective. Faulkner, through Compson, is calling for a return to myth, arguing that the mythological stories of the past are uncomplex and do not suffer from the ambiguity tha t plagues modern literature. This focus on the importance of myths is a common concentration of modernist writers, as is the call to use these stories and make them new. Likewise, Compson seems to be hinting at the significance of this declaration and its symbolism rather than being direct about his point, and implication is the Modernists way of implementing metafiction. The only redeeming factor of the speech lies in his final words, using perhaps to signify his uncertainty, therefore offering a postmodern, skeptical perspective and rejecting absolute truth. The fact that the characters are actively telling the story of Sutpen and commenting on it at the same time is somewhat postmodern, as it is including and drawing attention to the author within the story. There are also times when the narrative from a character goes on for such a long time that the reader forgets who is telling the story, and at this point, the presence of Faulkner as a narrator begins to become more evident. It is also then that comments such as the speech from Mr. Compson take on new and deeper meaning, as the reader begins to associate Faulkner with these ideas more so than the characters. Another more complicated example of metafiction appears again in chapter four, as Mr. Compson says: We have a few old mouth-to-mouth tales; we exhume from old trunks and boxes and drawers letters without salutation or signature, in which men and women who once lived and breathed are now merely initials or nicknames out of some now incomprehensible affection which sound to us like Sanskrit or Chocktaw; we see dimly people, the people in whose living blood and seed we ourselves lay dormant and waiting, in this shadowy attenuation of time possessing now heroic proportions, performing their actsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦impervious to time and inexplicable. (Faulkner 102-103) Faulkner, once again through the mouth of Mr. Compson, is commenting on the state of literature, but more importantly, the uncertainty that literature creates as it all returns to mythology. As he suggests, we as readers have to realize that every story that is told is merely a representation of another, and each is also a mere representation of reality. This also gets back to Faulkners problem with language it never says what you want it to mean. However, it seems now that he has arrived at a fix for this problem The character of Judith, when discussing the story, remarks that words are mere scratches without meaning but it doesnt matter that it is so (Faulkner 131). This differs from the perspective of earlier novels characters because Judith both comes to terms with the meaninglessness of language and decides that it is no longer problematic for her. When asked if she wants Miss Rosa to read the letter, Judith replies, Yesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Or destroy it. As you like. Read it if you like or dont read it if you like. Because you make so little impression, you see (Faulkner 130). Clearly Judith recognizes the futility of language, but she also overcomes the problem, caring not whether Rosa reads the letter or not, because it will not make much of a difference either way. According to Tebbetts, Postmodernists see human attempts to describe and establish truth not only as futile but even as destructive (Tebbetts 131). In other words, if language is strictly symbolic, then it cannot lead us to truth . This comes from a poststructuralist view that truth is a transcendent signifier and does not exist (Lewis 96). The novel embraces this, and Faulkner no longer struggles with the uncertainty of language. Some critics see the novel as having a pattern of uncertainty, which is visible through its use of words like perhaps and maybe. Faulkner had been rejecting this in his earlier novels, but he is finally embracing it here. Faulkner also chooses to utilize the metafiction to inform the reader about his Lacanian journey with language. Lacan says that when the individual is able to split and repress a part of itself, it enters the symbolic realm. The subject becomes aware of its absent center but is driven by desire to fill the void of absence. For Sutpen in Absalom, Absalom! Faulkners momentary stand-in for the duration of this story his enlightenment moment occurs in Chapter Seven, when he is turned away at the planters house (Duvall and Abadie 47). Faulkner, looking back on the past, looks at Sutpen in his Mirror Stage and shines light on his own. Before this moment, Quentin says that Sutpen was no more conscious of his appearanceà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ or of the possibility that anyone else would be that he was of his skin (Faulkner 185). At this point, Sutpen has evolved into the Symbolic Stage, just as Faulkner does in his earlier novels. Faulkners style in the novel is more oral than literary, and the novel flows through thoughts and character dialogue that often seems like Faulkner himself is orally relating the story to his listeners. Critic Conrad Aiken agrees, calling his unique style grossly overelaborate and grammatically annoying (Aiken 135). However, Aiken claims that this proves Faulkners Modernist streak, which is, as proven thus far, shortsighted since Absalom, Absalom! is the authors most postmodern book. What he achieves through this style is the defamiliarization of language, blurring the boundaries of literature. It is these lengthy, seemingly never-ending sentences in the novel that reflect Faulkners aims. Likewise, he also enacts a tactic of delayed disclosure through this approach, starting a section of a story and abruptly stopping to digress onto something else. This way in which he withholds the points and meaning of his sentences, information about characters, and the continuations of half-finis hed stories is essentially Lacanian. A characterization of Faulkners novel as either modern or postmodern requires understanding of what it means to be a postmodern piece of fiction. Postmodern literature is often perceived as a reaction to Modernism, which numerous authors, poets, and scholars worried was becoming increasingly too conventional and traditional. Likewise, they often saw Modernism as an elitist form of writing, since it was usually difficult and obscure. They cited the many complex literary references as a source of this, and suggested that Modernism was catering only to the highly educated because of these references. Postmodernism, in response, frequently involves pop cultural references, including those to other postmodern works, popular art, television shows, politics, well-known historical occurrences, and movies. Postmodernism is also often jumbled with fragmentation, but the use of fragmentation is much more severe than in Modernism, as there is sometimes no clear plot, characters sometimes seem po intless, the story is broken up and confused (often beyond repair). This extreme level of fragmentation is often used to make the point that literature is often more about what is under the surface, and that knowledge of a novels plot does not guarantee that a reader has gotten all meaning from the work. Even Faulkners avant-garde nature and separation from Modernism does not develop into what postmodern literature is known for. In order to answer the question of where Faulkner falls in the spectrum of modern and postmodern literature, one must turn to scholarship that identifies obvious postmodernism and determine if Faulkner lives up to the standards. Barry Lewis, author of Postmodernism and Literature, provides a great description of postmodernism as it applies to literature. He purports that the literature that best falls into this category was written between 1960 and 1990, and that anything before is transitory (Lewis 96). He suggests that the most important elements of postmodernity are temporal disorder, pastiche, comfortableness with fragmentation, looseness of association, paranoia, vicious circles, and language disorder (95-105). Likewise, Lewis also brings Jacques Derridas concept of play as a postmodernism technique. Instead of the modernist quest for meaning in a world of chaos, the postmodern author denies, often playfully, the possibility of meaning (98). As a result, the postmodern novel is often a parody of the modernist quest. Within Faulkners works, there are elements of each of these characteristics, but they all seem to appear faintly and fleetingly. For example, temporal disorder is overtly obvious in The Sound and the Fury because Faulkner blurs the line between all time past and present are hard to distinguish. However, as Lewis would agree, Faulkner does not achieve the degree of disorder associated with postmodernist fiction. Instead of recognizing that history repeats itself and that there are definite concrete moments in time, Postmodernists rather make all time vague and parody other works obsession with time (98). Faulkners Quentin in The Sound and the Fury would have been very Modernist in this category, since his preoccupation with time is ultimately part of what destroys him. However, Absalom, Absalom! removes this worry completely, being completely unconcerned about the passage of time since it does not matter. In fact, the novels structure, constant ly shifting tenses between present and past ever so seamlessly, is postmodern. Therefore, some of these postmodern qualities appear in the novel, but others do not. Another important aspect of postmodern literature that Lewis points out is pastiche, which literally means to combine and paste together multiple elements. Pastiche, then, arises from the frustration that everything has been done beforepostmodernist writers tend to pluck existing styles higgledy-piggledy from the reservoir of literary history, and match them with little tact. This explains why many contemporary novels borrow the clothes of different forms (Lewis 99). Although there are some critics who suggest that this is part of Faulkners repertoire, arguing that he employs this in Absalom, Absalom! there does not seem to be enough evidence to prove that he is actively making the novel parodic. Indeed, there are clearly elements within the story that suggest that Faulkner had the classic Southern gothic novel in his heard while writing it, such as the final conversation between Shreve and Quentin at the end: Now I want you to tell me just one thing more. Why do you hate the South? I dont hate it, Quentin said, quickly, at once, immediately, I dont hate it' (Faulkner 395). Quentin, who often represents Faulkner, may be repressing something, and it very well could be a shared feeling of Faulkner; however, there has not been enough legitimate evidence or scholarship to prove this relationship. Therefore, the novel is not a parody, which hurts its chances at being classified as a postmodern novel. Modernists treat fragmentation and subjectivity as existential crises a problem that must be solved, which their literature attempts to do. Postmodernists, however, believe that this issue is insurmountable, and the only reactionary action that is worthwhile is to play with the chaotic tendencies. In postmodern literature, playfulness becomes the major focus, thus making any order or incontrovertible truth highly unlikely. Faulkner, at least in his early works and Absalom, Absalom! does not seem to venture very deep into this playfulness. Indeed, there is definitely a presence of this in Absalom, Absalom! but it never reaches the extremeness that other major postmodern works achieve. Compared to a work like Kurt Vonneguts Slaughterhouse-Five, Faulkners fiction does not stand up in terms of where it falls on the modern/postmodern scale. The first chapter of Vonneguts book begins by saying, All this happened, more or lessIve changed all the names. I really did go back to DresdenI went back there with an old war buddy, Bernardà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Vonnegut 1). The author blurs the line between where his influence ends and where the narrator (who is, in other words, understood to be separate from the author) begins. The first chapter seems more like a preface by the author, or a later comment on his novel that should come after the text; instead, Vonneguts first course of action is to set himself up as both the author and narrator. It is clearly postmodern because he is forthright about it instead of implying the blurred line. I would hate to tell you what this lousy little book cost me in money and anxiety and time. When I got

Cholera Essay examples -- Vibrio cholerae Infection Disease

Cholera The disease, cholera, is an infection of the intestines, caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. As stated in Microbes and Infections of the Gut, the bacterium is â€Å"a Gram-negative, comma- shaped, highly motile organism with a single terminal flagellum† (105). Cholera is characterized by the most significant symptom that presents with the disease, diarrhea, and victims can lose up to twenty liters of body fluids in a day. Cholera can be a serious disease, due to the serious dehydration that can occur, but it is only fatal if treatment is not administered as soon as possible. This research paper includes information on the causes of cholera, symptoms, ways of treatment, studies of treatments, complications that may occur, the tests and diagnosis for cholera, and finally, the ways the cholera bacterium may be transmitted. Introduction Cholera is a disease caused by the cholera bacterium Vibrio cholerae infecting the intestines. Usually, the illness is mild, and for some, symptoms of cholera never even present, but sometimes, the disease can also be severe. A severe case of cholera is â€Å"characterized by profuse watery diarrhea, vomiting, and leg cramps. In these persons, rapid loss of body fluids leads to dehydration and shock. Without treatment, death can occur within hours† (Cholera Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment). Normally, in a gentler case of cholera, the infected person only has mild diarrhea. â€Å"In 5-10% of cases, however, patients develop very severe watery diarrhea and vomiting from 6 hours to 5 days after exposure to the bacterium. In these cases, the loss of large amounts of fluids can rapidly lead to severe dehydration. In the absence of adequate treatment, death can occur within hours† (Cholera Symptoms, Ca... ...a Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment." MedicineNet.Com. 31 Aug. 2005. . 9.) "Cholera: Treatment." MayoClinic.Com. 30 Mar. 2007. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. . 10.) "Frequently Asked Questions and Information for Travellers." World Health Organization. . 11.) Goodwin, Charles S., ed. Microbes and Infections of the Gut. Melbourne, Oxford, London, Edinburgh, Boston: Blackwell Scientific Publications, 1984. 103-113. 12.) O'neal, Jackie. "Bengladesh Medical Study on Cholera." Kidsnewsroom.Org. 13.) "Treatment of Cholera." World Health Organization. . Cholera Essay examples -- Vibrio cholerae Infection Disease Cholera The disease, cholera, is an infection of the intestines, caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. As stated in Microbes and Infections of the Gut, the bacterium is â€Å"a Gram-negative, comma- shaped, highly motile organism with a single terminal flagellum† (105). Cholera is characterized by the most significant symptom that presents with the disease, diarrhea, and victims can lose up to twenty liters of body fluids in a day. Cholera can be a serious disease, due to the serious dehydration that can occur, but it is only fatal if treatment is not administered as soon as possible. This research paper includes information on the causes of cholera, symptoms, ways of treatment, studies of treatments, complications that may occur, the tests and diagnosis for cholera, and finally, the ways the cholera bacterium may be transmitted. Introduction Cholera is a disease caused by the cholera bacterium Vibrio cholerae infecting the intestines. Usually, the illness is mild, and for some, symptoms of cholera never even present, but sometimes, the disease can also be severe. A severe case of cholera is â€Å"characterized by profuse watery diarrhea, vomiting, and leg cramps. In these persons, rapid loss of body fluids leads to dehydration and shock. Without treatment, death can occur within hours† (Cholera Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment). Normally, in a gentler case of cholera, the infected person only has mild diarrhea. â€Å"In 5-10% of cases, however, patients develop very severe watery diarrhea and vomiting from 6 hours to 5 days after exposure to the bacterium. In these cases, the loss of large amounts of fluids can rapidly lead to severe dehydration. In the absence of adequate treatment, death can occur within hours† (Cholera Symptoms, Ca... ...a Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment." MedicineNet.Com. 31 Aug. 2005. . 9.) "Cholera: Treatment." MayoClinic.Com. 30 Mar. 2007. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. . 10.) "Frequently Asked Questions and Information for Travellers." World Health Organization. . 11.) Goodwin, Charles S., ed. Microbes and Infections of the Gut. Melbourne, Oxford, London, Edinburgh, Boston: Blackwell Scientific Publications, 1984. 103-113. 12.) O'neal, Jackie. "Bengladesh Medical Study on Cholera." Kidsnewsroom.Org. 13.) "Treatment of Cholera." World Health Organization. .