Tourism Issue Research Exercise and Essay Essay Example for Free

Tourism Issue Research Exercise and Essay Essay 1.0Introduction 1.1 Introduction to essay Tourism has increasingly grown as the economy develops well and the level of living style of human being improves, especially in China. (Jordon Ken, 2001)The dramatically growth of tourism has brought several benefits such as enhancing local economic development and the reduction of unemployment rate. (Philip D. Brian R., 1995) However, it is still questionable that whether it is absolutely profitable if the number of tourists continue to rise. The objectives of this essay are to emphasize the negative impacts of tourism to a Chinese destination. This essay is going to cover how the boosting tourism is affecting the quality of water and air in China. 1.2 Introduction to articlelu This article is discussing about the sudden influx of tourists throughout China during China’s National Day golden week and the negative environmental impacts that it caused. 2.0 Main arguments discussion 2.1 The general fact of tourism Over time, there is a significant growth in tourism all over the world. With reference to appendix A, it is significantly shown that the number of international tourist arrivals doubled from 435 millions to 940 millions from 1990 to 2010. Distinctively in the South Asia region, the numbers rose from 3.2 millions to 11.1 millions in the span of ten years, this relatively attracts a higher number of tourists among the strongest growing areas in 2010. As reported in UNWTO Tourism Highlight (2011), the position of china in tourism indicators moves up in both arrivals and receipts, reaching to the third position and the forth place out of the top ten, respectively. 2.2 The factors involving an increase in tourism It is evident that nowadays, more and more people prefer to choose China as their holiday destination, showing an obvious demand for tourism. It is  notable that there was a 20.8% growth of foreign tourists’ (about 85.4 million tourists) arrivals after the Beijing Olympics and Shanghai Expo. (China Daily, 2009) However, there are several crucial reasons that push people to go out to an unfamiliar place and pull them to China, listed below are the push and pull factors respectively. 2.2.1 Push factors There are several factors involved in influencing the increment of tourism, such as economic expansion, social changes, demographic aspects and technological developments. (Weaver, D. B., Oppermann, M. 2000) Being rich and affluent allows most people to be able to achieve a better sense of purchase power. The availability of greater discretionary household income gains various choices rather than just spending on basic living requirement;( Agarwal and Yochum,1999) Moreover, nowadays people tend to travel overseas during their vacation, in order to escape their busy work schedules. Households have also become smaller, so family members can spend less in bringing up children, thus having more money for leisure activities. In addition, the advancement in technology makes it easier for travelers to reach their destination. To sum up, all these factors boost the demand of tourism. (Weaver, D. B., Oppermann, M. 2000) 2.2.2 Pull factors Referring to Appendix B, Asian tourists make up the majority of China’s tourism market due to their geographical advantage. For example, Japan is the biggest tourist-source market for China as both countries are situated near from each other. It is also cheaper for the Japanese to travel to China as it is relatively cheaper than to other countries. Besides, the 5000-year history of China is always attracting tourists all over the world. In addition, the complement of airline systems and expansion of high speed train are more comfortable, continence and efficient. The quality of service has also grown together with the influx of tourists. (Jeffrey, 2008) 3.0 The negative impacts of tourism to environment However, it is questionable whether it is absolutely good if the number of tourist constantly grow yearly. According to this article, it was a common  phenomenon that china was overly congested with people during the Chinese National Day. 20,000 tourists could not find a hotel to settle down in Pu Tuo mountain (a famous mountain in china); During the same period of time, San Ya beach was described to be a dump because 50 tons rubbish was abandoned along the coast, while vehicles were held up on the expressway, which looked like they were parking in car parks. (Lei, 2012) These events are apparently showing a sign that when the sheer number of tourists is overload for a destination, it will lead to a decline in both socio-cultural and natural environment. However, only natural environment will be discussed about thought focusing on two main pollutions that exit during the rapid development of tourism. They are water pollution and air pollution, respectively. 3.1 Water pollution With the boosting tourism, more water resources are developed to attract travelers. Those people who enjoy the natural attractions of beauty and peacefulness like to boat along the waterways and enjoy the scenery.(Jeffrey, 2008) Thus, an increase of water transports like motorboats, will in turn cause oil emissions which would pollute the water ways.( Jeffrey, 2008 ) Moreover, the rubbish dump by travelers is harmful to the quality of water. Furthermore, hotels resorts built along waterways or coastlines will produce a big amount of sewage as well. These series of events would be obviously harmful to local water system during the holiday and would certainly cost a loss in the economy. For example, a number of 360 million yuan(US $43 million) was invested to clean up the Lijiang River by government. (People’s Daily, 2000) 3.2 Air pollution Nowadays, with advanced technology, majority of people prefer to take air transport to their preferred destinations. Refer to Appendix C, half of the total (51%) tourists chose to travel by air in 2010, while the road transport rank at the second popular choice of all mode of transports. All vehicle transport create exhaust fumes. (Simpson et al., 2008) Air pollution caused by tourist transportation has spread to the whole human being living environment, especially from carbon dioxide production because of the usage  of transportation energy. (Majbritt, 2010) In fact, the air in China, especially in the city area, is suffering from heavy pollution. (Gregory C. Chow, 2008) Amongst 20 worst-air-cities around the world, 16 of them belongs to China. (Jeffrey, 2008) 4.0 Conclusion In conclusion, the negative impacts of tourism to Chinese environment such as water pollution and air pollution have been explained above. These are the consequences that booming tourism has to pay. Thus, it is worth noting that the substantial tourism is calling peremptorily. Increasing tourism does bring a lot of profit for economy, but it is a double-edged sword. If left uncontrolled, tourism can cause both social and environmental problems as seen from China’s case. However, although I believe that the Tourism industry in china reaps more positivity on the whole, although there is no concrete panacea to this issue. Methodology This research essay required gathering relevant facts and information from a vast variety of sources, including book literatures, journals, news articles, specified review and online sources, in order to deliver complete understanding of the main topic – Negative impact of tourism to China’s destination. This research paper focused on gathering crucial data from the most valid and credible sources as reliability and credibility were key concerns. The usage of online journals and articles which were accessible on University Of Newcastle Blackboard were definitely useful in gathering information such as essential Annals of Tourism Research and Studies. In addition to this, Google Scholar played an imperative role in providing relevant information on the topics of Tourism in China as well as statistics on relevant areas. Key words like inbound tourism of china, water pollution were used on Google search engine to obtain further detail figures such as the number of tourism to China in 2010. Other than the methods listed above, the Chinese government reports and UNWTO annual reports were also used to describe and further elaborate changing tourism trend and statistics. The main keyword descriptors used to complete the research include: negative impacts of tourism in China, water pollution and air pollution information Reference: Air Pollution in China. (n.d.). FACTS AND DETAILS. Retrieved April 2, 2013, from factsanddetails.com/china.php?itemid=392catid=10subcatid=66 China Daily. (2009) Tourism in beijing boosts after the olympic games. (2009, 7 29). Cultural China. Retrieved from http://news.cultural-china.com/20090729140321.html Gregory C. Chow (2008): China’s Energy and Environmental Problems and Policies, Asia-Pacific Journal of Accounting and Economics Jeffrey, H. (2008). Facts and details. Retrieved from http://factsanddetails.com/china.php?itemid=392catid=10subcatid=66 Jeffrey, H. (2008). Water pollution in china. Retrieved from http://factsanddetails.com/china.php?itemid=391 Jordon, S., Ken, W. (2001). Causality between trade and tourism: empirical evidence from china. (1st ed., pp. 279-283). Lei, B, (2012). Crowd throughout the great wall during chinas national day. Chong Qin Wan Bao (2012, 10 8). . Retrieved from (http://tour.rednet.cn/c/2012/10/08/2770150.htm) Majbritt, T. (2010). Tourism, transport and environmental pollution. Retrieved from http://www.viewsontourism.info/2010/tourism-transport-and-environmental-pollution/ Philip D. , A., Brian R., P. (1995). An applied general equilibrium analysis of the economic effects of tourism in a quite small, quite open economy. (Vol. 27, pp. 985-994). Simpson, M. C., Gà ¶ssling, S., Scott, D., Hall, C. M. and Gladin, E. 2008. Climate change adaptation and mitigation in the tourism sector: Frameworks, tools and practices, Paris: UNEP, University of Oxford, UNWTO, WMO. Tourism, Transport and Environmental pollution – Views On Tourism. (n.d.).Views On Tourism Knowledge and inspiration to the Bangladeshi tourism sector.. Retrieved February 4, 2013, from http://www.viewsontourism.info/2010/tourism-transport-and-environmental-pollution/ UNWTO. (2011). Travel Biz Monitor: UNWTO Tourism Highlights: 2011 Edition (Part -II). Travel Biz Monitor: India travel news, travel trends, tourism. Retrieved February 3, 2013, from http://www.travelbizmonitor.com/unwto-tourism-highlights2011-edition-part-ii-14272 V.B. Agarwal, G.R. Yochum(1999): Tourist spending and race of visitors, Journal of Travel Research, (pp. 173–176) Weaver, D. B., Oppermann, M. (2000). Tourism management. Brisbane: John Wiley Sons Australia.(pp. 5-68) Wheeler, D., Dasgupta, S. and Wang, H. 2003. â€Å"Chapter 12: Can China Grow and Safeguard Its Environment? The Case of Industrial Pollution†. In How Far Across the River? Chinese Policy Reform at the Millennium, Edited by: Hope, N., Yang, D. T. and Li, M. Y. Stanford: Stanford University Press

Creating a GUI for ThermaKin2D

Creating a GUI for ThermaKin2D Tamfor Dulin Graphical user interface are used in OSX, Windows PC, and even on phones and tablets. It is found on almost every technological device used by people from computer programmers to toddlers. GUIs (Graphical User Interface) have been helpful over the years as well as it is going to be for the end product of this project. In general, GUIs simplify the use of an application so that it is user-friendly. Another subject that plays an important role is combustion, which is an exothermic chemical reaction, combustion is required to understand the purpose of this GUI. If it is hot enough the combustion can cause a flame. In this reaction there is a cycle in which the fuel is melted and afterwards burned to fuel the fire. This can be calculated to acquire an ideal set of numbers that represent the flame but no one would understand such data and this is where the GUI comes into place. In this project, a GUI will be created for a solver that can calculate the flame spread, the data calculated wil l be manipulated and visualized by the GUI, and this will be able to help understand the results of the solver into a visual depiction. GUI (Graphical User Interface) is defined as, in computer science terms based on Harding, â€Å"a visual operating display that the monitor presents on the monitor to the computer operator† (Jansen, The Graphical User Interface.). GUIs act as mediator between the program and the user. GUIs are useful in technological devices in that they make understanding apps easy. GUIs are advantageous and increase usability as well as productivity rate. It is a type of computer human interface on a computer that includes clickable inputs, a combination of icons, taskbars and other images so that a computer will be able to display these interfaces. This is more commonly known as a Window, Icons, Menus, and a Pointer (WIMP)(Hinckley, Haptic Issues for Virtual Manipulation). WIMP are now found in the majority of graphical interface. GUIs also are composed of a windowing system, an imaging model, and an application program interface (API). The WIMP is created by the windowing system. The imaging models determines the font and the image and partially produces the WIMP. Lastly, the API is the medium which the user tell the program on how the windows will appear (Jansen, The Graphical User Interface.). GUIs have simplified the complicated Command Line Interface (CLI) which has a steep learning curve. It also, â€Å"attempt to solve this blank screen problem.† (Jansen, The Graphical User Interface.) This blank screen is caused by command lines and DOS (Disk Operating System) prompts which are interfaces in which the user types commands to execute certain tasks and are limited with only prompts. CLI and DOS prompts tend to have blank screen and the user is expected to know what to do to proceed with the process. Unlike command lines and DOS prompts, the GUI guides the user to know what to do next, with prompts and indications. Unfortunately, GUIs are not as flexible and as powerful to control an application. GUIs have been used for more than 30 years. It all started out with the multiple researchers at Xerox PARC (Palo Alto Research Center), they created the first application with a GUI (Jansen, The Graphical User Interface.). The researchers were dedicated to creating the GUI before they started with application itself. This application was name Xerox Star, unfortunately it was too slow and commercially unsuccessful. After the Xerox Star came Apple Lisa made by Steve Jobs and some hired researchers who previously created the Xerox Star. The Apple Lisa was still unsuccessful and this is when the Apple Macintosh finally was created (Jansen, The Graphical User Interface.). As it is still known and used today, the Apple macintosh’s GUI was successful. After the success of Apple Macintosh many other common and modern GUI started to sprout. From the old International Business Machine (IBM) to X-Windowing System which developed to be now windows 7 or 8. Other than those GUIs, there was Linux (Operating system), UNIX (Uniplexed Information and Computer Science) and other Linux-based and UNIX-based operating system which come into place like android and iOS, respectively. Knowledge of a flame spread is vital. Combustion is a chemical reaction that releases heat or energy with a fuel and an oxidant, in most cases oxygen is the oxidant. Through this reaction, a fire is formed which in turn makes a flame, the visible part of combustion. Flames have complex, hard to predict movement because of the particular substance that is being burned. To predict the flame spread, is one of the most complicated fire problems. Flame depends on the substance being burned and all its attributes which differ through each substance. The size, density, mass, shape, porosity, and if there are impurities cause the flame to react differently. This flame cannot not be easily predicted because if there was to be an experimental prediction, it would not have been accurate since the substance could have been slightly impure or any miscalculations. To have accurate measures it would have to be simulated in an ideal situation. Since flame spread is random and cause by unknown situations or situation caused by human error, it will easily be identified through simulations which would require chemical and physical properties to calculate how the flame would spread. To easily predict flame spread through simulations, ThermaKin2D will be used. It was created by the University of Maryland and Federal Aviation Administration. This solver is able to solve the rate of fuel production, heat transfer rate, fuel burn rate, and flame spread rate in a given amount of time by using the physical and chemical properties of the thermochemical decomposing solid (Stoliarov, Levention, and Lyon, 1). The reason why this program was created was to be able to predict and understand flame growth through models (1). The understanding of the calculation and chemical activity is crucial for predictions. Previously, there was a program called ThermaKin that would calculate the rate at which a pyrolyzing solid will burn, the fuel released during the process, changing mass, and energy conservation (1). The only problem with the ThermaKin was that it was mainly 1-Dimensional which means that it did not greatly represent a surface flame and it was limited since it could not simulate a flame spread. Using the data yielded from ThermaKin2D, one is able to make a 2D simulation of the data. ThermaKin2D is similar to ThermaKin but in a 2D perspective and an adaptable representation of a surface flame (1). This 2D visualization enhances the comprehension of the data being shown and it is a highly accurate depictions of a flame. It is greatly flexible and can handle up to chemical activity of up to 30 first and second order reactions (Levention, â€Å"Two-dimensional Model of Burning for Pyrolyzable Solids†). Each component is classified by density, heat capacity, thermal conductivity, gas transfer coefficient, emissivity, and absorption coefficient ((Stoliarov, Levention, and Lyon, 1). It has been used in simulation of combusting non-charring and charring polymers in a cone calorimetry-type scenario. (1) The main features that separates ThermaKin2D from other solvers are â€Å"a gas solid interaction formulation that enables gas driven sample simulations.† Also is it a â€Å"Monte Carlo based radiative heat transfer sub model† and â€Å"a versatile kinetics solver that can handle chemical mechanism consisting of up to 30 first and second order reactions.† Its boundary condition is broad and it is able to handle most situations provided that you have the chemical and physical property. ( Leventon, Two-dimensional Model of Burning for Pyrolyzable Solids) Additionally, the purpose of ThermaKin was to have a model of thermochemical decomposition and combustion of complex polymers (Stoliarov, Levention, and Lyon, 1). Just as ThermaKin was for industrial, educational, facility, and personal uses, once a GUI has been created for ThermaKin2D, it will be used for the same purpose and more and be accessible to more people. Such example of the uses would be to create a model for combustion, as well as a pyrolysis model in 2D. Another example would be visualizing 2D simulation of a substance burning with the reactions and outcomes. With all these possibilities one may be able to test different substances with mixtures. This enables one to identify which substance is more flammable or is less conductive. Another example could be determining the rate at which fuel is produced which can be used in making candles. ThermaKin2D can be used in multiple ways but, without the GUI, many people would not be able to use it and reducing the rate at which ones house is burning would not have been easily accomplished. ThermaKin2D will need a graphical user interface because without it, it will be used by a small population or be complex to use in that you would have to remember each and every command. But the purpose of ThermaKin2D was for it to be used by anyone who need to study the flame on a substance. Also the GUI will be needed to convert the numerical data into graphs and simulations. In this case it will give the previously measured data to the solver and the solver will yield data needed to simulate and visualize. ThermaKin2D will require a GUI because currently it is in a command line interface which is arcane. It has a blank screen and a prompt which only few will be able to understand and indications will be required to know what to do when the program starts. The program will need a graphical interface for inputting the information so that the user will know when and where to place the information they need to give. Without the GUI, inputting and receiving data will be confusing, with a lot of numerical data and no images to easily identify what is going on in the calculations. Unfortunately the failure or success of the product is dependent on the GUI. Having a good GUI is important so that the user will not be frustrated. Also, it is not easy to tell if the GUI is easy and efficient. Overall ThermaKin2D is based on ThermaKin in which it will calculate the rate of fuel production of a thermally decomposing solid. In this project as previously mentioned, A GUI will be created for ThermaKin2D created by University of Maryland since it is now available in a command line interface and it is arcane, only the creators are the one to understand. In creating this GUI, it will help explain the useful purpose of GUI which make the application less complicated and not have someone take an aspirin after using an application. A good GUI design eliminates the complexity of the communication with the computer system and the user to work directly on the problem at hand. Without this GUI only a few people will be able to use this ThermaKin2D and will not help the society as a whole. Works Cited Hinckley, Ken. Haptic Issues for Virtual Manipulation Microsoft Research. Haptic Issues for Virtual Manipulation Microsoft Research. N.p., 1996. Web. 04 Oct. 2014. Hopp, T.; Schwarzenberg, G.F.; Zapf, M.; Ruiter, N.V., A MATLAB GUI for the Analysis and Exploration of Signal and Image Data of an Ultrasound Computer Tomograph,Advances in Computer-Human Interaction, 2008 First International Conference on, vol., no., pp.53,58, 10-15 Feb. 2008 Jansen, Bernard J. The Graphical User Interface. ACM SIGCHI Bulletin 30.2 (1998): 22-26. Print. Leventon I. T.; Stoliarov S. I.; Evolution of Flame to Surface Heat Flux during Upward Flame Spread on Poly(methyl methacrylate); Proceedings of the Combustion Institute; vol. 34, pp. 2523-2530 (2013). Levy, Jr. Steven. Graphical User Interface (GUI) (computing).Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 20 Sept. 2014. Li, Jing, Junhui Gong, and Stanislav I. Stoliarov. International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer. Gasification Experiments for Pyrolysis Model Parameterization and Validation 74 (2014): 738-44. International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer. Elsevier, 30 July 2014. Web. 3 Sept. 2014. Miranda, Gutierrez M. THE IMPORTANCE OF GRAPHIC USERS INTERFACE, ANALYSIS OF GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACE DESIGN IN THE CONTEXT OF HUMAN-COMPUTER INTERACTION IATED Digital Library.THE IMPORTANCE OF GRAPHIC USERS INTERFACE, ANALYSIS OF GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACE DESIGN IN THE CONTEXT OF HUMAN-COMPUTER INTERACTION IATED Digital Library. N.p., 4 July 2011. Web. 4 Sept. 2014. Ogras, Hidayet, and Mustafa Tà ¼rk. Utilizing Simulink and MATLAB Graphical User Interface in Modelling and Simulation of Chaos-Based Digital Modulation Techniques.International Journal of Electrical Engineering Education50.1 (2013): 19-33.ProQuest.Web. 15 Sep. 2014. Quintiere, James, Margaret Harkleroad, and Yuji Hasemi. Wall flames and implications for upward flame spread. Combustion Science and Technology48.3-4 (1986): 191-222. Quintiere, J. Q., and C. H. Lee. Ignitor and Thickness Effects on Upward Flame Spread. Fire technology 03 1998: 18-38.ProQuest. Web. 24 Sep. 2014 . Smith, Scott T.MATLAB: advanced GUI development. Dog Ear Publishing, 2006. Stoliarov, Stanislav I., Isaac T. Levention, and Richard E. Lyon. TWO-DIMENSIONAL MODEL OF BURNING FOR PYROLYZABLE SOLIDS. Tech. no. DOT/FAA/TC-TN12/59. U.S. Department of Transportation, Mar. 2013. Web. 25 July 2014. Tuck, Michael. The Real History of the GUI. SitePoint. Michael Tuck, 13 Aug. 2001. Web. 3 Sept. 2014. Wilder, Ron. Understanding the Basics of the Command Line Interface. MacAuthority 06 2004: 6-9. ProQuest. Web. 1 Oct. 2014 .

The Consequences of Epilepsy Essay -- Epileptic Epilepsy Seizures Essa

The Consequences of Epilepsy Epilepsy: Any of various neurological disorders characterized by sudden recurring attacks of motor, sensory, or psychic malfunction with or without loss of consciousness or convulsive seizures (1). Is epilepsy a purely physical phenomenon? The question is a complicated one. Put simply, the answer should be yes. The psychological trauma sometimes caused by the seizures, however, makes the answer more complex, along with a more troubling trend. In years past epileptics were classed among the mentally ill, and received the same maltreatment as did that unfortunate group of people. Before that they were perceived as having been possessed by evil spirits. But now, in the modern world, we are free of those ignorant superstitions. Aren't we? Scientifically, epilepsy is the term under which many seizure disorders are grouped. There are four basic types of seizures: petit mal, tonic-clonic (grand mal), simple partial, and complex partial (2). While petit mal seizures consist merely of a short period of immobility and blank staring, occasionally accompanied by brief loss of awareness, tonic-clonic seizures are much more dramatic (2). Also called grand mal seizures, they involve whole-body muscle contractions, loss of consciousness, temporary cessation of breathing, and involuntary biting of the tongue or cheek (2). The simple and complex partial seizures are calmer; the simple includes muscle contractions of a specific part, abnormal sensations, nausea, sweating, flushed skin, and dilated pupils. The complex partial seizure consists of all these symptoms as well as automatism (repeated motions), inappropriate emotions, changes in personality, altered consciousness, and hallucinations o... ...ation, a page discussing the civil rights arguments put forth by various groups of people with epilepsy http://www.epilepsyfoundation.org/advocacy/rights/disability.html?print=yes 9)The Epilepsy Foundation, a page dealing with the secondary problems caused by epilepsy http://www.epilepsyfoundation.org/answerplace/living/coping.html?print=yes 10)The World Health Organization, a webpage detailing the struggles of people with epilepsy in developing countries http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/en/ 11)The Epilepsy Foundation, a page discussing the impact of epilepsy on the mental health of the patient in both a short-term and long-term context http://www.epilepsyfoundation.org/clinicalcare/treatment/mentalhealth2.html 12)The Epilepsy Foundation, an article discussing epilepsy as a cause of death http://www.epilepsyfoundation.org/epusa/silent.html

Television and Media - Variety in TV Shows :: Exploratory Essays Research Papers

Variety in Television Shows There are many different television shows today, practically one for every person in the family. Comedies, dramas, action-adventure all these different forums of television, but they all seem to be about the same people. Threw all the different verity of shows on TV all the characters have common similarities with each other. They are mostly composed of white people and the upper class. Even if the show claims to be about the working class the characters are usually never seen working or even warring about money, they also never have a problem paying rent or buying new clothes. This gives a false image of the working class. The lack of a divers cast also misleads the audience the black population is expected to outnumber the white population in this country by the year 2009. Yet all major television stations don't have many if ant minority in their shows. This leaves most of America's people unrepresentative on television. If these stations where trying to portray the middle class they did not do so in an affective manor. Looking at the show "friends" the whole cast is composed of white actors and never has a minority ever been represented in the show. All the characters have jobs but are never seen at them, occasionally we see Monica in the kitchen where she works, or Rachel in the Coffey shop doing anything but work. Even with the unusual appearance at work the characters still seem to have great apartments and seem fashionably beautiful. "Friend" is one of the most popular shows on television today. How is that possible, the answer is that executives who write and produce the shows have no idea what its really like for young adults in society today. They assume things about the American public and pass it on as the real thing. This in turn is digested by the American public and watched because theirs nothing else that is entertaining enough to keep their attention the reason why television shows seem the same is because they are made and produced by the same people with a formula that i s followed by others. Look at the show "Will and Grace" it seems to have broken the mold of the usual sitcom.

The Not So Great Gatsby Essay -- essays research papers

The Superficial Gatsby   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the novel entitled The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald, Jay Gatsby is at times made out to be better than us. At first glance he is sophisticated, using big words and claiming that he is an 'Oxford man.'; But when we look closer we can easily see that this man is a farce. Much of this man has been shrouded in mystery. We know very little about his past until later in the book. We don't know where he was born, who his parents are, or where all of his money came from. He frequently disappears form Nick's view seemingly without a trace. All of these things make him out to be somebody of real importance but by looking closely we can gather an abundance of evidence to the contrary. We see that he is just a man looking for the lost love of his life, Daisy. He is a man looking for the American dream and when he does not find it, we see at last that he is just like the rest of us.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The word great is somewhat vague in meaning. Whether someone is great or not often times depends on the person judging them. My personal beliefs as far as greatness are concerned are not very complicated. When I think of someone who is or was great, I think of Jackie Robinson, Louis Armstrong, and Albert Einstein. These are all people who affected the way we live and have changed our society as a whole for the better. My parents are great; my teachers are great, and my coaches are great. All of those people have a lot of influence directly over me and they are always changing me for the better. A truly great person has to make sacrifices and be very brave. Jackie Robinson was the first black person to enter the major leagues. To face the kind of racism that he faced and still perform the way he did is a feat hat I don't think I could do. His bravery and grace under pressure has earned him a place among the greats. He is a wonderful example of greatness, and there are many more like him. Not everyone has the same kind of standard for greatness as I do. Another part of being great is growing up from an impoverished background. Some people, like the two kids who murdered thirteen kids at Littleton High, think that Hitler was a great man. Some people think that Stalin and Milosevic are great. These dictators did not rise to power without support from other people. People fought and died for these tyran... ...s life by loving her and doing the best he could to get her back. Daisy's problem is that she is pushed around a little too easy and just like that she seemingly forgets everything between Gatsby and herself. But being a great person is more than just those few things. Being a great person means being great and living up to that standard for most of your life. Most really great people continue to meet the standard of being great for a long time. That is part of what makes them so great. Jay Gatsby has turned his past life in to a fraud. Jay Gatsby who, for his own purposes, would break up a marriage. These are not traits of a truly great man.Then we come to the question: Why? Why would Fitzgerald name the book 'The Great Gatsby?'; I believe it is because Nick is the narrator and does see him as great. When I was finished reading this novel I did not come off thinking not thinking 'wow that man was really great.'; I came off thinking (among other things) 'wow that title is not acc urate'; because there is an abundance of evidence to the contrary even when it is presented by a narrator that thinks he is great. I believe that is what Fitzgerald wanted us to think (among other things).

Hide and Seek by Vernon Scannell: Poem on a Childhood Game Essay

Hide and Seek by Vernon Scannell talks about a child’s exciting experience playing the traditional game hide-and-seek. It conveys a subtle message that over-confidence may lead us into ultimate failure even if success seems just around the corner. Scannell applies a sharp and quick tone throughout with his rapid successions and having the poem be a short stanza, bringing out the feeling of thrill and delight of a child anticipating triumph. Scannell chooses to write in second person, giving the reader instructions in so what to do in order to conceal yourself well from the seekers, â€Å"be careful that your feet aren’t sticking out†, â€Å"you mustn’t sneeze†¦Ã¢â‚¬  and â€Å"Don’t breathe. Don’t move. Stay dumb. Hide in your blindness. † are some typical examples. Techniques such as alliteration can be found multiple times in the poem. In the first line â€Å"Call out. Call loud†¦ Come and find me! , the consonant ‘c’ is repeated various times, accentuating the boy’s eagerness, also giving the poem a certain enthusiastic feeling from the very beginning. In line 11 the consonant ‘d’ in ‘don’t breath’ and ‘don’t move’ draws our attention to the sense of urgency and heightened excitement experienced by the boy. In the end, Scannell winds it all up saying â€Å"Yes here you are. But where are they who sought you? , at first giving me a creepy and ominous feeling, but stimulated thought to pity the child’s disappointment and misery having been abandoned. Remembering this childhood game as a joyful one, I was able to understand how much the boy had been let down when he realized he was dumped by his friends. I enjoyed Scannell using second person to write this poem, because it is very rare for writers to choose this path, and it makes us more engaged in the poem and are affected by every slight movement of the character.

Analysis of Tich Miller Essay

The poem â€Å"Tich Miller† by Wendy Cope is about two schoolgirls named Tich Miller and Tubby. Tubby is explaining different incidents that she experienced in her youth, which caused quite some trauma for her and Tich Miller. We don’t know the gender of Tubby but I am assuming that Tubby is a girl. Tubby is telling us about how Tich and she always were the last persons to be picked for outdoor games. When the team had to pick players the last person to be picked was always Tich who stood back and was not picked. Tubby says that it was because she was, â€Å"the lesser dud†, when the teams had to take them in consideration. It is my impression that Tubby and Tich are almost equal if you look at their social status but Tubby is just a tiny bit more â€Å"cool† and therefore she gets picked before Tich. In the first stanza of the poem there is a small characterisation of Tich Miller. It only says that she wears glasses and had one foot three sizes larger than the other. Tich is described as a very shy and clumsy child and therefore she as described stood behind, unnoticed or disregarded, when they picked teams for outdoor games. I think the incident that she is describing completely altered the course of her life. It affected her self-consciousness throughout the rest of her life. Tubby seems quite clever and knows that she needs to adapt for getting through the bullying. She can take criticism, which Tich cannot. It does not seem like Tubby and Tich are very good friends. The poem states that they are not making any eye contact nor are they talking to each other. I would expect them to stand together when they are getting bullied but actually the opposite happens. They are avoiding each other and that appears to be a bad decision for both of them. You could imagine that Tubby is chubby and therefore the name. She is being treated like Tich unnoticed and overlooked. Both of them are having a hard time in school. They do not fit in like the other kids. I think that they, due to having been through some traumatising situations have developed some kind of social awkwardness. None of them want to step forward and contradict the bullies. I took notice of the sentence â€Å"affecting interest in the flight of some fortunate bird†. Especially the use of the word â€Å"fortunate† grabbed my mind. Both of them probably want to be the bird. Be able to just fly away from everything and get to a new place where they can develop a better life. It is my understanding the names in this story, Tubby and Tich, have not been chosen randomly. I think that it could be like Chubby and Tiny if you described them. . The two girls were unselected only because Tubby was chubby, and Tich was tiny, hideous and wore glasses. The last stanza is the turning point of this poem. It is the sentence that makes you think about what the poem really wants to say. It makes you feel frustrated and sad at the same time. When you read the last stanza the sentence, â€Å"Tich is dead†, the first thing that comes to your mind is of course suicide. You can tell that the change of school when they turned 11 years old had two different outcomes for the girls. While Tich probably committed suicide, Tubby stepped up and actually started being a bully. She becomes one of bad guys and start bullying the hockey players who cannot read. All the hatred that developed when she was younger was pointed at other kids now. It was terrible for both of these young girls. They wanted to move on when they went to different schools but none of them succeeded. I think it is tragic that no parents or teachers stepped in and tried to stop it earlier. While I think suicide is the most egoistic thing person can do I still believe people should be allowed to do whatever they please, so long as it doesn’t infringe on another persons right to do what they want. When you think about it your life is the only thing you really own. There are different themes this poem touches on. First and foremost the topic growing up comes to my mind. The poem is about two girls and their experiences trough their childhood. Another topic could be suicide. You could ask the question, â€Å"Why does Tich Miller die at the age of twelve?† The poem doesn’t reveal this but part of the message of the poem could be that bullying can have serious consequences. So serious that it can lead to people losing the will to live and therefore taking their own lives. The last message I could think of was hierarchy. Every school has its hierarchy. Some people are popular and some are not. The poem Tich Miller gives an insight into the world of the less fortunate namely a view of the least popular and how they try to survive every day of school. Even Tubby who is at the bottom of the hierarchy knows that Tich is even lower than her and that she therefore should avoid her. Being associated with a â€Å"loser† such as Tich will make her even more unpopular and move her further down the hierarchy. If I were to compare it to another poem it would be â€Å"Clara’s Day†. It is as well about an insecure teenager and how she feels growing up. Going through the same problems as these young girls.