I Am the Grass Essay Essay Example for Free

I Am the Grass Essay Essay Am the Grass is a short story written by Daly Walker, who has also written other short stories for The Sewanee Review and The Sycamore Review. Born in Winchester, Indiana in 1924, Daly Walker is a surgeon by trade and started to write after he was forty. Daly also served in the Vietnam War from 1967-1968, it serves as an inspiration for I Am the Grass. The story details a mans struggle of life after the war in Vietnam, and returning to Vietnam. This includes painful psychological trauma, the feeling of guilt for his actions, and finally his attempt to redeem himself in his own eyes. At the start of the story we read about assorted atrocities committed during the Vietnam War by a nameless man, who is the main character. They include raping a thirteen-year old girl, decapitating a man with a machete, and throwing defenseless prisoners off of a helicopter. Along with the atrocities, the reader sees a battered past and something that haunts the main character . The story also goes on to explain how after the war, the main character goes on to medical school where he becomes a successful plastic surgeon. The main character also describes the fear that comes back to him when anti-war protestors blow up a classroom while he’s asleep. It takes him back to the attacks done on his base while he was in Vietnam, he goes on to explain that even though the he has left the war, â€Å"the war has followed him home† (316). The main character shows how he tries to redeem himself for the bad he has done. This includes going to impoverished countries to repair deformities on people who can’t afford plastic surgery. He explains â€Å"how it makes me feel like a decent man, a healer† (317). This shows how it feels good for him to heal people as opposed to feeling good killing them when he was younger. After the minor back-story and introduction to his past and inner-demons, the main character is on a plane headed to Vietnam. Ironically, this time to help the people he once did horrible things to. He is taken around the countryside, where he recognizes many of the nicknames of the roads soldiers gave. Then he is introduced to another surgeon, one who he would have originally called an enemy, to take him to those in need of the surgery. In nother twist of irony, the Vietnamese â€Å"surgeon† is missing his thumbs. This prevents him from performing surgery unlike the main character. They both talk about fighting each other in the war and then go forth to perform the surgeries on the people who needed them. As the story continues, the narrator, has been successful in 18 surgeries and feels good. Until he has to â€Å"make a difficult decision†(320) when the thumbless Vietnamese surgeon asks him to perform a â€Å"difficult surgery†(321) on him. A surgery where the big toe of the foot is transplanted to where the thumb once was. Despite the risk and lack of any more advanced medical tools, the narrator decides to go forward with it. This shows that the narrator is willing to do an extremely difficult surgery without the proper tools, so that perhaps he may find some peace in himself. Yet the dreams of the man he decapitated still haunt him, even on the eve of the big surgery. While he prepares himself, the narrator explains the feeling as â€Å"a sense of power that has been in no other place but surgery, except when my finger was on the trigger of an M60† (324). He starts and is meticulous in using the primitive medical instruments provided to him. He feels as if he has done a good job and even forms a steady friendship with the Vietnamese surgeon. However, the day he has to leave, it goes south. The main character goes to unwrap the bandages and finds that the transplant has failed, as the implanted big toe has rotted. Furious at himself, he removes it before he leaves. In an attempt to make himself feel better, it is shown how the main character hopes to see the thumbless surgeon at the airport. Perhaps saying bye to him and thanking him for his efforts. However there is no one there, on the flight home though, he realizes that the risk involved with Vietnam made him feel like a part of the country. He comes to see that he embraces the risk and everything that comes with it. I Am the Grass is presented as a story that is simple to understand, but also has an emotional effect. Walker gives us a character with a detailed past, a very good storyline, and the setting and theme of redemption which is present throughout the whole story. The theme of redemption is supported throughout the story. The main character tries to redeem himself in his own yes by doing surgeries for free in impoverished nations. Also, when he takes on the risky task of the toe transplant. It leaves the reader wondering, what if it would have worked? Would he have calmed his conscience of reminding him about the past atrocities he committed? The story, which begins by describing very graphic atrocities, turns into a story of more peace than war. One where the narrator has lost himself in the scourge of war, but is trying to find himself by using his talents for good. Trying to find inner-peace from his personal demons. It comes together near the end of the story. When he finds out the transplant didn’t work and he wants to leave immediately. But contrary to his expected reaction, the Vietnamese surgeon calmly tells him to remove it, which the main character does. In a way he faced his own inner demons despite the disappointment. Walker’s decision to make the setting a run down dirty hospital isn’t one that a lot of people can relate to. However, the message of redemption is one that a lot of people can. The conflict he delivers is one that is present in others, just not in the form of war crimes and surgeries. That’s something that a lot can relate to. In this story, Walker has shown a veteran who is haunted by his past and tries to redeem himself. It delivers a powerful message on how the road to the inner-peace of a person is faced with many challenges and setbacks. Ironically, amidst the moment of disappointment, the character realizes that he has come to accept the risks he took in life, along with the consequences. There he finds at that moment of redemption that he had long been looking for.

Iq Tests Not Accurate Measure Of Persons Intelligence Psychology Essay

Iq Tests Not Accurate Measure Of Persons Intelligence Psychology Essay The subject of intelligence is a very contentious area of psychology, as an outcome of warmed argument on the components and determinants for several distinct grades of intelligence. Even then, as persons considered and argued, as not a good way to consider the proficiency of persons, or biased supportive those from distinct communal strata so, to start this consideration, we should gaze at the contentious topics and discover both edges of the topic and the inquiry we start with: Why is the delineation and estimation of intelligence to conceive a problem? (Ciarrochi, J, et al 2001) The concept that we can assess human intelligence in the written check method is usually advised the first two psychologists were presented in 1904, Binet and Simon, who were requested to conceive tests to recognize young children who may require added support from by the school scheme because of smaller intelligence quotient (IQ). By 1905, the first test was set up and prepared to be accomplished by a little experiment of students. Tests were then reconsidered for some years, and numerous other trials were chosen to take part in the standardization method (SP). (Ciarrochi, J, et al 2001) AP was initially conceived to assess the intelligence of young children under the age of 16 years, although, when the report come to America of tests, a psychologist at Stanford University, started to modify and acclimatize the inquiries in the test, in order that by 1960, they could not only test of U.S. scholars but the topics were junior than 18 years. The tests have assisted in the 70s and 80s, and extend to be acclimatized, and now an IQ test can be utilized to test the so-called understanding, extending from 2years to 23 years and 11months vintage, which coincidentally is my age time of this writing. Because of the engagement of Stanford University in the development of these tests, the test is now broadly renowned as the Stanford-Binet test. However, there are numerous inquiries and arguments that enclose these and any other kinds of intelligence / proficiency tests, acknowledging their validity, reliability and neutrality in this matter. History In the past, IQ tests have been glimpsed as a way to differentiate who might be the human right to work on the part of employers, although, it was verified that they can only actually assist find workers for certain work, if it entails many of employed papers and what is educated in school. (Fitness, J. 2000) A study undertook on the validity of the tests IQ (Ghiselli, 1966) displayed that there is a association between the supple dough and work capability / achievement amidst brokers (as it is in require, learned ability), while there was little to no association for those applying the policeman (which needs less learned ability). IQ tests are, thus, stay the best signs of how the taught persons who are fundamentally what they were initially conceived for anyway. Perhaps the most widespread condemnation of testing IQ, is that most of them only to contrast two or three distinct localities of thoughtful features, for example mathematical, spatial perception (to some extent), and syntax, but since there is no clear delineation or exact intelligence the inquiry arises: How can you have intelligence test when you manage not understand precisely what to check? Gardners idea of multiple intelligences back up this condemnation, and he recognized eight localities in which a individual may have a certain allowance of proficiency, which makes to interpret one-by-one dissimilarities rather well. It supposes that every individual has a certain amount: linguistic understanding, melodious understanding, mathematical / ordered understanding, spatial understanding, bodily-kinesthetic understanding, interpersonal understanding, intrapersonal understanding, and has lately supplemented a naturalistic intelligence (pattern acknowledgement and classification of na tural objects). If the idea is correct Gardner, intelligence tests, it is conspicuous shortcomings, because it can not verify the natural forces for example agility movements or linguistic skills. Fitness, J. 2000) It is furthermore worth noting that intelligence tests manage not account for the reality of an idiot, researchers and those who are adept only in certain localities, but are not intelligent, while Gardners idea takes them as smart in those exact areas. He contends that those who contradict with his concepts of multiple intelligences just shocked about going away from the concept of normalized tests, and that the linguistic, melodious, and kinesthetic natural forces just talent. Gardner acquiesces with the concept that these districts may easily be the gifts , and exclusive ordered or mathematical natural forces, is furthermore identified as just a talent. In short, the idea for example Gardner interrogated the end of the normalized intelligence tests. Fitness, J. 2000) Its not just the activity that casts question on Test IQ; reliability should be taken into account. For demonstration, some IQ tests are timed to test the pace with which persons can gaze at and explain problems; although, this begs the inquiry, and can the malfunction to entire testing in time for an individual IQ? And what if he is a personal other than psychological difficulty, which hinders pace test man? Older persons, for demonstration, may bear from age-related difficulties for example arthritis or heart difficulties, which are generally slow down some, but not inevitably sway the brain, but if they were inquired to take timed IQ test that they can not get a outcome that reflects the their thoughtful abilities. (Mayne, T. et, al 2001) Criticism Another locality of condemnation over the test IQ is culture-fair test of the consideration, which takes into account the kinds of inquiries that are put to the test. Any verbal inquiries of method, even if they are converted into distinct dialects, generally heritage biased and thus the best way to remedy this position is to conceive inquiries that use the types and realize the matters, the method, but even they occasionally favor one kind of heritage over another, and it is effectively unrealistic to conceive a absolutely heritage free test. (Mayne, T. et, al 2001) The next locality of condemnation is well renowned consideration of environment, which works with effectively all localities of psychology, which habitually has powerful support from both edges, and the concept of the steadiness of intelligence in particular. They state that the natural human brain can not be altered, and that we should just use what we are born with. (Mayne, T. et, al 2001) If we gaze at the tests IQ, as Binet, and Gardners idea of multiple intelligences, we can glimpse that both of these ideas are inclined to support the environment edge of the argument, and while Gardner will gaze at diverse intelligence and gifts, it does not signify that an individual can discover to intelligence. Sternberg (1985), and his Triarchic idea of intelligence (STS) manage not acquiesce with that, and whereas he accepts that there may be diverse types of understanding, it supposes that there are only actually three constituents of understanding, the context of the intelligence, know-ho w and intelligence. Component utilized to interpret the learned edge of the mind, cognitive answer to the difficulty, and the likelihood of processing information. Cherniss, C. Adler, M. (2000) Contextual endeavors to interpret the proficiency to acclimatize to distinct positions, or heritage natural environment, often mentioned to as Street-Smart, and the know-how of one-by-one intelligence is the proficiency to come by abilities and make it routine. Sternberg accepts as factual intelligence is the number of abilities that can support and not many of built-in purposes that can not be changed. He furthermore evolved diverse types of test that values his idea, and the pace with which persons can come by and request new ability is called: Sternberg Multidimensional Abilities Test. The outcomes of this test will assist persons glimpse where they require enhancement and can be much more helpful to participants in the method than IQ. Sternberg finally supposes that intelligence can be advanced, and there are several deductions to support his theory. There were two very contentious study and publications, although, which not only manage not acquiesce with the rudimentary values of the idea of Sternbergs, but furthermore annoyed because they were released. The first publication, which was presumed to lead to a gigantic warmed argument round the world, that the released Jenson (1969), who said that the homeland of source of the Black tallied on mean 15 points smaller than white people. Cherniss, C. Adler, M. (2000) He proposed that this was mostly due to genetic and very dark persons that, though, may have been a factor; the major cause is the heritability of intelligence. The next part of publications that has initiated so much disturbance when it was issued was a curve to Herrnstein Murray (1994), which is reliable with investigations Jenson, and furthermore shows that those of smaller thoughtful proficiency, as a direct, directs a hard life, is more probable will not be sufficient, the parents themselves, and furthermore more probable to turn to drink, pharmaceuticals and crime. Although these facts highly contentious and democratically incorrect, some points that are probable to be factual, and may to some span, interprets why persons find themselves in that place, but it will only be unquestionable if the two components manage not play a gigantic part of the one-by-one intelligence level, heritage, persons are revealed, and the detail that intelligence is not repaired, and that there are numerous investigations that display of support for such assertions. Test that Jenson made very dark and white topics in 1969 was no question a heritage bias in the direction of white topics, due to the grade of welfare and learning that each assembly was exposed to earlier. Further investigations displayed that very dark young children who were taken up by a prosperous white family, and were exposed to the identical grade of learning displayed an boost in evaluation with the grade of intelligence of young children, alike genetic background. Illustration Adoption investigations for example these are often a powerful contention supportive the formation of edge considerations, but at the last locality of anxiety in the environment / nurture argument theme of eugenics. Eugenics is a concept conceived by Sir Francis Galton (1822-1911), who was involved in the achievement of British breeders who breeds power and best canines simultaneously, and conceived many of distinct options. (Leible, T., Snell, W.E., Jr. 2002) He determined to start a action, examined the likelihood of dropping awful persons from the good society to get persons to type with those who have good features and attributes that are very ill, even the proposal of the 19th 100 years, and it was shortly closed down because persons determined to type for love, not genes. Nevertheless, the period eugenics was conceived, and possibly most applicable demonstration of eugenics in the annals of limitations of the Immigration Act (1924), which was taken up in America, President Coo lidge, who was said to have declared: America should be American, as he marked the bill; In this day of eugenics, as is renowned, won one of the greatest technical racist assaults in American history.

Government Intrusion and Civil Liberties Essay -- Government

Most people have either read or heard of the book 1984 in some point in their high school career. Some may see it as just fictional literature that we learn in English class, but it could become seeing as to how our government is handling national security. In 1984, the author, George Orwell talks about a society in which one group of people runs society and everyone is under surveillance. This was something that people in the 1980s would not think possible, so how could Orwell have thought of this plot when writing the book during the 1940s? It could have been due to the progress in technology such as radio, film, television. The fear of government interference could have also been produced because World War II was present the time 1984 was created, from which Orwell twists in his book. What is even more interesting is that the Cold War is somehow described in 1984 and it pretty much became true. With the Cold War having taken place, U.S. citizens were worried that people am ong them could be a Communist; the enemy of the U.S. and capitalism. Because of their fear, people started to accuse one another of being communists, which led to them being imprisoned with little and what was, invalid evidence. This is now referred to as the ‘Red Scare’ where ‘Red’ symbolized Communism. After this so called war, there was a time of peace where the likelihood of there being another ‘Red Scare’ was very unlikely, until the unforgettable date, September 11, 2001, or often referred to as 9/11 where the government’s fear of terrorist presence begun. With the government’s fear of another 9/11, preventing this from reoccurring is very crucial to the United States politicians and so through the use of modern technology, they are willing an... ...geles Times, 29 Dec. 2011. Web. 28 May 2012. . Williams, Carol J. "Telecom Customers May Sue Government over Wiretapping, Court Says." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 29 Dec. 2011. Web. 28 May 2012. . Williams, Carol J. "Telecom Customers May Sue Government over Wiretapping, Court Says." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 29 Dec. 2011. Web. 28 May 2012. . Wing, Nick. "Indefinite Detention Blocked: District Judge Rules On Controversial Provision Of NDAA." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 16 May 2012. Web. 28 May 2012. . Government Intrusion and Civil Liberties Essay -- Government Most people have either read or heard of the book 1984 in some point in their high school career. Some may see it as just fictional literature that we learn in English class, but it could become seeing as to how our government is handling national security. In 1984, the author, George Orwell talks about a society in which one group of people runs society and everyone is under surveillance. This was something that people in the 1980s would not think possible, so how could Orwell have thought of this plot when writing the book during the 1940s? It could have been due to the progress in technology such as radio, film, television. The fear of government interference could have also been produced because World War II was present the time 1984 was created, from which Orwell twists in his book. What is even more interesting is that the Cold War is somehow described in 1984 and it pretty much became true. With the Cold War having taken place, U.S. citizens were worried that people am ong them could be a Communist; the enemy of the U.S. and capitalism. Because of their fear, people started to accuse one another of being communists, which led to them being imprisoned with little and what was, invalid evidence. This is now referred to as the ‘Red Scare’ where ‘Red’ symbolized Communism. After this so called war, there was a time of peace where the likelihood of there being another ‘Red Scare’ was very unlikely, until the unforgettable date, September 11, 2001, or often referred to as 9/11 where the government’s fear of terrorist presence begun. With the government’s fear of another 9/11, preventing this from reoccurring is very crucial to the United States politicians and so through the use of modern technology, they are willing an... ...geles Times, 29 Dec. 2011. Web. 28 May 2012. . Williams, Carol J. "Telecom Customers May Sue Government over Wiretapping, Court Says." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 29 Dec. 2011. Web. 28 May 2012. . Williams, Carol J. "Telecom Customers May Sue Government over Wiretapping, Court Says." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 29 Dec. 2011. Web. 28 May 2012. . Wing, Nick. "Indefinite Detention Blocked: District Judge Rules On Controversial Provision Of NDAA." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 16 May 2012. Web. 28 May 2012. .

weapons of the weak :: essays research papers

In James Scott’s novel Weapons of the Weak: Everyday Forms of Peasant Resistance he plainly describes what can only be viewed as the worsening of the lives of the village poor in Sedaka, Malaysia. He attributes the increase in economic inequality to Malaysia’s green revolution. Consequently, Scott analyzes the impact of these changes on the poor, sighting several causes.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The green revolution began in the 1970’s in Malaysia. It was brought about by an advance in technology, a new form of high yielding seeds. These new seeds led to the ability to double crop, or have more than one crop yield per season. Also, many of the large farmers opted to bring in combine harvesters to increase the speed at which they could harvest, making it easier for them to double crop. These new technologies may seem economically beneficial to all if viewed by the untrained observer. However, those who benefited were few. These new developments only benefited the wealthiest in society, consequently leaving the poor even poorer for many reasons.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  More than anything the combine harvesters led to the increased troubles of Sedaka’s poor. â€Å"Combine harvesting has meant, then, a loss of nearly half the wages previously received for paddy work by the poorer strata of Muda’s peasantry (76)†. Combine harvesters were valued by many large farmers as brilliant new technology. It allowed for them to eliminate the need of a labor force for cutting and threshing. â€Å"By the irrigated season of 1979 †¦ they (combine harvesters) were harvesting fully 60 percent of Sedaka’s patty land. A year later they were harvesting more than 80 percent (115)†. Transplanting was the only work left for patty workers in Sedaka. Thus a problem presented itself for the one-quarter of Sedaka’s population who subsisted solely from wage labor. Combine harvesters also allowed for large farmers to take up the practice of broadcasting, which took work away from those who helped with the pre-season planting. The lack of work led to a decrease in the need for laborers. Since there was less demand for laborers, the price of wages went down. This greatly affected those who did not have enough land to provide year round subsistence for their families. This group of poor who farmed less than 3 relong, in other words those considered below the poverty level, had to struggle to survive. Some peasants had to move temporarily or permanently to larger cities to find work to provide for their families.

Historical Context Versus Human Behavior in “The Scarlet Letter”

â€Å"The Scarlet Letter† was set in Boston, Massachusetts in the mid 1600’s and follows the backlash of the sinful act between Hester Prynne and Boston’s own Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale. In an ironic and masterfully executed red-herring type twist, Dimmesdale himself publically calls for Hester to name her sinner-in-crime in the beginning of the story, which she adamantly declines to do. The reader, at this point, does not know that Dimmesdale is her adulterer, but knows that the game is afoot. Hester is given a scarlet â€Å"A† to wear upon her chest for her sin and bears the â€Å"A† with a sense of purpose and dignity, even embroidering it with gold thread. Hester and her daughter of sin, Pearl, end up living in a small cottage where Hester earns a living with her skillful needlework. And, in an attempt to show her shame, yet revel in it, Hester only dresses Pearl in scarlet dresses. Hester’s long-lost and presumed dead husband, Roger Chillingworth, returns to find Hester in prison for her deed and informs her that she is to tell no one of his identity. Much later, once he establishes himself in society with a false identity as a physician, he is summoned to help the ailing Dimmesdale. Chillingworth begins to believe that Dimmesdale might be suffering from a malady beyond the physical which brings him to discover that Dimmesdale is an adulterer and Pearl’s father. Enraged and seeking revenge, Chillingworth plots to destroy Dimmesdale. Dimmesdale is so fraught with guilt at this point that he punishes himself physically, fasts, and staves off sleeping for a constant vigil. He feels a deep sorrow and horror for what he has done to Hester’s husband and tells Hester, at which point she begins to see that Chillingworth must be behind Dimmesdale’s quickly declining health. Hester and Dimmesdale have a moment in the woods where she confesses that Chillingworth is actually her husband. Dimmesdale is willing to face the truth. They plan to set sail for the Old World immediately, and in an act of freedom, Hester removes her â€Å"A† and lets down her hair. Pearl becomes so distraught that Hester has to once again don her shame, and this time it is with true sadness. They must wait until after Election Day to set sail and Dimmesdale eagerly begins his final, enlightening, sermon. At the end, he brings Hester and Pearl up on stage and confesses everything to the town. This, of course, ruins Chillingworth’s plan to destroy Dimmesdale as he watches with fury while everything is revealed. As the story ends, Dimmesdale dies on the public platform after his confession, Chillingworth dies a year later, and Pearl inherits his fortune. Years later, Hester is buried next to Dimmesdale in the town cemetery. In 1841, Hawthorne wrote a letter confessing that he was beginning to despise life in Salem and asks, â€Å"dost thou not think it really the most hateful place in all the world? My mind becomes heavy†¦nothing makes me wonder more than that I found it possible to write all my tales in this same region of sleepy-head and stupidity† (Moore, 2). He wrote this letter to Sophia, his wife, and it represents very clearly what he thought of his town of Salem and his Puritanical upbringings. It is from this resentment that â€Å"The Scarlet Letter† was born. Going further back in Hawthorne’s life, his â€Å"father died†¦when he was four, an age at which, according to Freud, the male child forms a crucial attachment to his mother†¦consequently, he was able to supplant his father in his mother’s affections. His attachment to his mother became an impediment to his psychological maturation†¦especially when [she died]† (Kennedy-Andrews, 107-108). According to this information, â€Å"The Scarlet Letter† becomes an easy and remarkable parallel to Hawthorne’s own personal life. Hester’s husband dies while at sea, leaving her to believe him dead and free to seek new male companionship. A reader could parallel this to Hawthorne’s life in which his father died and his mother was left to seek new male companionship, albeit, with her own son. This parallel can be defined even further as â€Å"throughout the story Hawthorne continually defines Hester in terms of motherhood†¦and in the very beginning of the narrative, Hawthorne establishes Hester’s relation to the Oedipal underpinnings of the story† (Kennedy-Andrews, 108). As the Oedipal complex goes, the son seeks to supplant his father for his mother’s affections. In most cases, as Kennedy-Andrews remarks, the son is forced to contend with a very real father figure for these affections and becomes fearful and backs down (107). In Hawthorne’s case, without a father figure from such a young age, he became the man in his mother’s life and the Oedipal complex became fulfilled. In fact, Hawthorne’s work â€Å"aims to produce an invisible change, an internal deepening like that which transforms the letter even as its form remains identical† (Kennedy-Andrews, 81). Hester’s attitude towards the â€Å"A† is to wear it, not with resignation, but accepting it as part of her life. Embroidering it with gold and crafting scarlet dresses for Pearl to wear signify this transformation externally. It is internally, in Hester’s character, that the letter changes much more significantly. She wears it as part of her life, accepting what she did, but the shame she feels slowly transforms Hester into a woman respected within the community. And the shame she once felt for Pearl is transformed into pure, satisfying love for a creation—despite the fact that Pearl was consummated through sin. In the 1600’s the act of sin and breaking from religion became the greatest crime and the basis for Puritanical beliefs. In this, and perhaps only this, Hawthorne follows history and makes a poignant mockery of the human condition—most precisely, the value stripped from women when they fall so far from grace as to partake in human desires. The fact that Hester’s human desire happens to be a religious leader of the community only serves to highlight this point more. Hawthorne’s use of symbolism throughout further demonstrates how the mores and ideals of the Puritanical community practically destroyed the very reason that the Puritans came to America in the first place—for freedom, as we are taught in history, without persecution or tyrannical leadership. Instead, the characters within â€Å"The Scarlet Letter† created their own sense of justice: persecuting women who are not obedient and compliant, like Eve from Biblical lore (before she forces Adam to eat the cursed apple, of course). As a historical work, â€Å"The Scarlet Letter† cannot be trusted as to the accuracy of events or people involved. Hawthorne â€Å"attempts to undermine the Puritan community’s judgment of Hester by employing a sentimental nineteenth-century narrator, uninformed about the spiritual complexities of the story he tells† (Thickstun, 133). This is where Hawthorne’s work loses all credence as a historical work of the 1600’s. His narrator is fully nineteenth-century, exposing views that simply did not exist within society until Hawthorne’s own time. While his views make for a compelling and entertaining story, they falter in historical truth. However, if this work is looked at closely, it becomes clear that Hawthorne’s life in the mid 1800’s actually serves as a greater historical reference for the morals and attitudes presented in the story. Historically, it can be said that yes, there were inhabitants in Massachusetts during the 1600’s, and they did profess Puritanical beliefs, much like the inhabitants of Boston where â€Å"The Scarlet Letter† takes place. However, the story within â€Å"The Scarlet Letter† is not that of history, it is that of human behavior and is better studied for a glimpse into humanity than for historical truths. In fact, â€Å"The Scarlet Letter† should not be read if the reader is hoping to find strong roots in historical context, but can be studied, to great reward, if a reader is in search of a tale inspired by true human emotions brought on by the politics enforced by a strong Puritanical society. Hawthorne used the politics and resulting changes in humanity from his own time period to form the characters and interactions in his work. In looking at the characters, Hawthorne â€Å"penetrates their subconscious minds and grapples with the secrets and compulsions he finds there. He too, plays master to his fictionalized slaves. And in recognizing this, he too, saw himself as a kind of spiritual villain, a marauder of the mind, and this perspective endows all of his work in both its technique and creation with an air of brooding and ineradicable guilt† (Reynolds, 50). It cannot be said that he ignored events from history or took a specific view on them; however he created his own history with the lives of Hester Prynne, Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale, their resulting daughter, Pearl, and the lives of those they touched. Historically, in an effort to determine whether Hawthorne’s descriptions are accurate, one can look at the values of the Puritans as a basis for study. Beyond the social, cultural, and actions of the characters, however, â€Å"The Scarlet Letter† leaves much to be desired for historical accuracy. In truth, Hawthorne based the story upon his own cultural times, placing his characters into a time period in which he knew prejudices against sin would make a marvelous tale. By his time, the Salem witch trials were well known, and his background in Puritanical beliefs would have made inserting characters into that background an easy feat. Hawthorne, it can be decided, focuses on the story within the backdrop—how the characters themselves shape history—and seems unconcerned with literal historical events within his tale. As to my opinion about historical events, no, Hawthorne did not change them. What he did was to make me see, very clearly, how easy it is for one person to become the focal point of sin within a community. To paraphrase Gary Scharnhorst’s â€Å"The Critical Response to Nathaniel Hawthorne’s ‘The Scarlet Letter’, the word â€Å"adultery† is never actually used within â€Å"The Scarlet Letter,† yet a reader understands very clearly by the attitudes of the characters that Hester has committed the worst of all sins and has to be physically, outwardly punished for all time. The one thing that separates humans from the other animals of this world is the ability to choose between right and wrong. Animals are unable to make this rationalization. But, as Hawthorne has so adeptly shown, the choice is often a non-issue when swept away by the driving force of a larger crowd. On their own, humans can choose between right and wrong without consequence. In a group, a dissenter would be punished just as Hester was—marked publically for all to see. In this, Hawthorne is a master. The fact that he based his work in a well-known time period serves no greater purpose than for dramatic effect. His story would be the same if set in any other time period, with any other sin. Imagine if Hawthorne had written about a young servant girl during the reign of King Henry VIII. She could have born his child or spoken out against Catholicism and been given the same fate. Her fate probably would have been death, and in his punishment, Hawthorne was delicate—if anything he is historically inaccurate here. Witches and women of less than perfect repute were often put to death, not degraded by wearing a public symbol. In this he was kind, but from the outcome of the story we know why. He wanted Pearl to grow up through the castigation of her mother and still prosper in the end. The object of sin became the reason for Hester’s being, and a powerful symbol of a different kind of justice. A pearl, after all, within a dark sea that appears to be full of tragedy and strife, can still become a most beautiful jewel. Truly, â€Å"The Scarlet Letter† is a work of fiction. The characters are not real and their lives did not play out in known history; however, what Hawthorne presents, and which I feel is more important, is what could have happened. The moral of his work is not to retell an unfortunate act, but to show the nature of human character and how there is a moment where a choice must be made between good and evil. The fact that Hawthorne was raised with Puritanical beliefs only seems to lend more weight to this theme. And this is what I enjoyed about â€Å"The Scarlet Letter. † Hawthorne’s life fills the pages of his work with a profound message for humanity. The scenes could have played out in any society, based upon any sin. Hawthorne even leaves a bit for the reader to infer about humanity with the final line of the book, â€Å"on a field, sable, the letter A, gules [or, is stained red]† (Hawthorne, 201). From this, we can ask: â€Å"does the scarlet letter stand for sin or for cleansing? Is the epitaph a word of despair or hope? In what direction did Hawthorne intend to lead our thoughts? If asked, he would have said, ‘read out of your own heart’ † (Scharnhorst, 131). And this, I think, is what readers should remember when studying his work. Being human means making choices based not only on who we are, but who others around us are and how they choose. Following the crowd, while most do so without thinking, is not always the best choice and does not, as in the case of Hester, serve the right kind of justice. In the end, once the truth is revealed, Hester finally finds peace, and the fact that her peace was granted, not by the town that punished her, but by her adulterer, is most striking of all.

Explanation of various types of fixed price

Fixed price contracts have a preset price that the vendor must adhere to in performing the work and in providing materials. There are different types of fixed price contracts. Explain them. [Explanation of various types of fixed price contracts] 2. Direct contracting is another procurement method that is used under a limited number of exceptional circumstances. Explain the conditions for adopting direct contracting, requirements and steps for direct contracting Conditions for adopting direct contracting Requirements for direct contracting and Steps for direct contracting] 3.Write short notes on Cost Plus Fee Contracts. [Explanation of Cost Plus Fee Contracts Features Conditions for adopting Advantages and disadvantages] 4. The methods of selecting a consultant are designed to achieve the objectives of quality, efficiency, fairness and transparency in the selection process and to encourage competition. Discuss any 2 methods of selecting consultants. [Explanation of any 2 of the method s With Where it is appropriate Type of assignments for which this method of selection is adopted] 5.The contract intro process commences right at the beginning stage of bid document preparation inviting contractors to bid, and proceeds through the contract negotiation, contractor selection, monitoring and controlling of the contractor's work and terminating the contract. Explain the areas that need attention for effective control of the contracts in a project [Core competence of the project manager Requirements of the working system Use of Work Breakdown Structure Recognizing the limitations with flexibility] 6. Explain the need of Procurement law and what are its objectives? [Explain the need of Procurement law List the Objectives]

Life as a Spy During American Revolution Essay

Hello, my name is John Honeyman, and I am a spy. It is 1777 on the calendar. The real thing I do is spying for George Washington. You might ask me, why have I chosen such a dishonest duty? Why do I help the enemies of the Crown to which I have given an oath? Well, let me explain and perhaps you will not treat me as a cheat. At first, I am discharged from the British army, so i am not tied with my oath anymore. I am a married person living between Americans, so I feel myself American, but not British . I have seen so many injuries and untruths caused to the colonists by the British, that I became sympathetic about those honest and hard-working people. I understand and support the ideas of freedom for which they are fighting and I believe that their struggle is just. This convinsion became even stronger when I had an honor to be introduced to George Washington himself a year ago in Somerset, New Jersey. Already after his first words I realized that this is a great person and a charismatic leader. His speech sounded so convincing and his faith in victory was so great that I realized that my duty now is to serve this corageous man. He wanted me to continue my life and business in Trenton and to make further contacts with the British. I have demonstrated, that I am a conservative Tory to make them believe me. Their confidence allowed me to freely move inside the town and gather information about it’s garrison . Later I was â€Å"taken prisoner† by the colonists and managed to â€Å"escape†. Nobody of the British guessed that being a â€Å"prisoner† I have shared the gathered data with Washington himself. But this was not the whole buisiness. I have fooled the British command by telling them, that the continental army would never dare to attack Trenton, and he believed me. But right after Christmas of the previous year Washington has lead a force of 2400 men to attack Trenton and gain a decisive victory in this battle . When the battle was over I walked around the snowy battlefield covered with bodies of the dead. God, those people might have never died in case I did not betray them. And than I saw Washington riding a horse and moving towards me. Look, – he said – what victory can cost! Maybe Americans died for freedom this day, but what did those redcoats died for? For ambitions of England, and for nothing more. Thus said Washington. i do not know whether I did right or wrong, but I know that there is no way back. Nobody can say now how this war is going to finish. I am too old to fight it a a soldier, so I was ordered to stay in Trenton and pretend that nothing has happened to escape revenge by our enemies. I continue living here with my family and I am still trading goods. Washington and his followers continue to fight this war with tremendous bravery. Maybe they will lose, but they will still remain right, so God bless them!