Document Analysis of John Browns Address to the Virginia Court Essay Example for Free

Document Analysis of John Browns Address to the Virginia Court Essay The address given by John Brown to the Virginia court was his final words before execution on charges of treason. The charges were given because of a raid that he directed with the intent to take federal weapons which is an act of treason. On October 16th-18th, 1859, the radical abolitionist John Brown led a group of white and black men, including two of his sons, on Harpers Ferry, Virginia. Brown’s goal was to seize the federal arsenal, arm the local slaves, and fight a way into the North as described in this primary source in court. This raid was not surprising because of his abolitionist background and insanity as described by the Robert E. Lee who led the Union Army that suppressed the revolt. The group held up in a fire department and was attacked by Lee’s soldiers. The failed attempt resulted in Brown’s capture, trial, and execution on December 2nd. This episode of slave resistance was the last major rebellion contributing to the secession of the South and, eventually, the Civil War. Purpose: John Brown had a a few purpose for delivering this address. Obviously, it was given in response to charges accumulated from the raid, and the address also makes several points explaining his defense. Brown stated that he did not intend to fire a single gun but wanted simply to take slaves from plantations and lead them to northern states or Canada. Brown also stated that he did not induce the others involved in the raid to join him which lessened his crime in his mind. To the charges he addressed, â€Å"I never did intend murder, or treason, or the destruction of property, or to excite or incite slaves to rebellion, or to make insurrection. Though he denied the charges, one can infer that Brown really did want a slave uprising to occur in the South due to his strong abolitionist morals and beliefs. If the raid were to be successful, Brown would not stop with those slaves, but rather continue his forced manumission of the South. Brown’s impression of the trial was one of satisfaction, but he argued that â€Å"it is unjust that I should suffer such a penalty [of death]. † He made this argument because his intent was not to start this uprising but, instead, to be an act of defiance that he knew would indirectly cause a mass insurrection in the South. Value: John Brown’s address is not a historical landmark and was a less significant historical document that had minimal aftermath; however, it provides a specific example of responses in court giving insight into how acts of slave resistance are dealt with legally. Brown gives this document a unique texture because of his eloquence in court compared with his savagery in the raid. Overall, he is given the status of a martyr with his words: â€Å"I submit [to death]: so let it be done! † Brown reveals a very different side of his personality in which he is a dignified martyr. He predicts that slavery will never end peacefully in the country whose â€Å"rights are disregarded by wicked, cruel, and unjust enactments†. Historians can use this document today to show people strong in their beliefs who act upon them, and although some failed in their efforts, their cause was strengthened. Limitations: The address made by John Brown contains several limitations that affect its credit as a historical source. A significant limiting factor is that there is only one opinion to explain the raid. Brown had a biased opinion mainly because of his childhood having been greatly influenced with abolitionist morals and beliefs. One would think that Brown’s address would be biased in spite of his numerous accusations, but he speaks as if he had nothing to lose. The aiding and abetting criminals in the raid would not have delivered a speech as dignified and passionate as Brown’s but would obviously be similar in their renditions of the event. To fully understand Brown’s raid, historians would need to consult Robert E. Lee’s notes. After viewing both sides of the story, a historian can either choose a side or make an inference that incorporates both.

Effects on Light and Colour on Our Environment

Effects on Light and Colour on Our Environment Light and colour have the ability to have a profound effect on the we perceive and interactive with our environment, effecting us holistically, in mind, body, and spirit. Altering the way we experience space, changing our perception of spatial definition and proportion. Light and colour serve as mediums for communication and information. They aid orientation and influence movement; differentiate space, establish hierarchy and indicate function; conveys symbolic messages; they are an expression of the Zeitgeist and connect us to the world in which we live. Light and colour have major impacts on our psychologically influencing our emotion, feeling and creating associations, physiologically impacting on our well-being on both a visual and non visual basis. Piturity gland etc.? One would usually associate the above solely with the sense of sight but both light and colour induce synesthesia, evoking associations with senses such as taste, smell, kinesthesia, temperature and according to some even effect our perception of time. The way we comprehend and experience light and colour it more complex than a simple optical stimulation. Our perception is a result of interplay of both physiological and the psychological factors in the conscious and subconscious. We have many prepossessions and preconceptions and light and colour which can be formed through personal experience, be a result of cultural influences and/or eduction or be part of genetic make up, developed over millions of year of evolution. There are six basic interdependent factors which combine to give us are perception of light and colour, biological reactions; the collective unconscious; conscious symbolism and association; cultural and mannerisms; trends, fashions and styles; and personal relationships and factors Biological Reaction Our biological reactions occurs not just as a result of the visual pathway. Light and thus colour aslo effect us a through neural pathway or energitic pathway. Through the energietic pathway light and colour stiumli are carried directly to the brain and onto the pineal and putrity glands, which control the production of hormones. This in turn can effect the likes of, metabolism, blood pressure, stress and aggression. The Collective Unconscious the collective unconscious refers to perception which is not rationalised by our conscious thoughts or our own personal experiences. According to Jungian psycholgy the collective unconscious is the part of our psche that has nothing to do with conscious or unconscious reaction based on personal experience amessed during our life time The collective unconscious consists of architypes, primordial and latent images, impressions and associations, in our gentic make up. Predispositions devloped thorugh millions of years evolution and the development of our species and cause us to interpret the environment in same way our predecessor The authors Hall and Nordby describe it as: the collective unconscious is a reservoir of latent images, usually called primordial images by Jung. Primordial mean the first or the original therefore the primordial image refer to the earliest development of the psyche. Man inherits these images from his ancestral past, a past that includes all of human ancestors as well as his prehuman or animal ancestors. Conscious Symbolism Funadmental associations and impressions made in the conscious. There are many associations to certain colour with are universally, and are read the same no matter the culture or eduction, for example yellow with light, blue with the sun and green with nature. The symbolism of the light and colour can be particulary significant in the field of architecture due to there connects to evoking mood and feeling. Light and colour suggest warmth or coolness, alter one perception of whether a room is friendly, etc Cultural influences Although there are many colour associations which are universal, we must also consider how different culture have different associations for some colours. For example japanese culture tends to be more responsive to softer colours, prehaps this relates to a greater appreciation of materiality. Indian culture on the other hand has a greater affinity to loud, bright and vivid colouration. There are also certain colours which gain greater significance in a certain colour. An example of this is the religious importance of green in Islam. Trends Fashion and Style Our interpretation and perfernces of colour can affect by what is in vogue at a particular time. Trends in the built environment tend to change on a less regular basis than in other. Although responsing to trends in architect and interior design may not result in creating the most beneficial environmets as different enviroments have different requirements, trends can be important in producing a sense of zeigheist. Such as ? Personal Relationships and Factors Our relationship to space is highly influenced by personal and subjective factors such as personal dispostion and specific personal experience, for example one would usually associate blue with coolness but if burnt by a blue object may induce an connection to heat. Other personal factors can change perceptions of light colour include sensitivity, age, character and temperament and are physical and psychological make up. Colour psychology can be separated in to interlinked subdivisions, applied colour psychology and depth colour psychology applied colour psychology is the one that generally applies to architecture. It deals with the implementation of the predetermined psychological effects to create a spatial ambiance to produce psychical benefits thus physiological benefits, or to convey a specific imagery. More? Symbolism and imagery of light and colour. For it is through symbols that man finds his way out of his particular situation and opens himself to the general and the universal. Symbols awaken an individual experience and transmit into a spiritual act, into a metaphysical comprehension of the world- Mircea Eliade For thousands of years natural light has been used for its powerful associations, for early man light held more significance than perhaps any other time, it was the giver of life and revered to the extent of worshipping the sun. Its significance however has diminished especially since the intrusion of artificial light Light can be regarded as metaphorical in conjuring thoughts of another place or notion. It can be symbolic, representing something else often that which immaterial such as infinity, and often symbolic of that which we do not fully comprehend. Light has the quality to produce a power ephemeral state of being. For link to times season Zeitgeist? Darkness is also important in this experience not only as a contrast too dark but in its own symbolism and representations, and the states of mind it creates, the lack of light suppress the visual, heightening the other senses. Strong darkness presents the unknown leading to states of apprehension, unease and even to phobia. The interplay of light and dark can lead to the the creation of contemplative or theatrical light. Luis Barragan advocates the use of what he calls half-light architects are forgetting the human need for half-light the sort of light that imposes a tranquillity, in their living rooms as well as their bedrooms we should try to recover mental and spiritual ease and to alleviate anxiety, the salient characteristic of these agitated times, and the pleasures of thinking, working, conversing are heightened by the absence of glaring light One of the few cultures in which the design of such environments is prevalent is in Japanese traditions. Quote for in praise of shadows and example? Another way to create places of contemplation is to use diffuse or baffled light, producing a level of uniformity contemplation is nourished by the lack of distractions Metaphorical Light Metaphorical light extends the role of light beyond that of simply of revealing, it denotes light that is used to conjure a visions of a different locality, for example its can be used to as a representation of nature, blurring boundaries giving one the impression that they are not in a interior setting. The use of metaphorical lighting is vivid in the works of artist Edward Hopper. In his painting New York Movie, Hopper uses contrasts in light to differentiate between the fanstay world of the theatre and the reality in which the usher carries on with her everyday life. Symbolic light is used as a representation of the immaterial and the unembodied, beyond that which is portrayed by the metaphorical, complex notions such as life and death. An powerful example of this is the Vietnam War memorial in Washington D.C. The names of the dead are inscribed in the specular granite surface of the wall. The ever-changing reflections of light and the surrounding remind us of our place and temporal natural in this world and thus our mortality. For thousands of years light has been associated with the spiritual facets and seen as the manifestation of divinity and the ethereal. Since prehistoric man light, the sun have been connected to the scared, prehistoric worshipped the sun build monuments align to its summer solstice to honour it, as this was when its was its most powerful. Tombs were also built with reference to the sun, often align to face the sun rise on the summer solstice. The light of a new day and the rising sun gave hope of an after life the natural language of light and dark is a powerful one with which to express architectural meaning Specific colour also hold symbolic associations. Many of these are fairly obvious, however these initial associations over time have lead subsequent affiliations or can take on induce different connections. The collective findings from a number of experiments have shown that many are universal however there may be slight variations in different cultures and religions. Associations have from human experience, going all the way back to early man. As discussed above primordial images etc have been stored in the human genome past on from generation to generation and contribute to our colour perception. Eckart Heimendahl suggests that our colour perception develops from three types of symbolism: ritual symbolism, traditional symbolism and aesthetic-emotional(psychological) level symbolism, which fuse to give us our experience of colour one of the most striking features of the results concerning perference, connotation and colour-mood associatations is the consistancy from one individual to another, from group to group and cross-culturally. There has been a great number of cross-cultural studies comparing subjects in America, lebanon, Kenya, Botswana, greece to mention a few. Monkeys have been compared to Man, men to women, children to adults, layman to architects. As another author concludes, it would indicate either that our heritage is such that we learn correct responses, or that there is some innate mood reaction to different colors (Kuller 1981 p.164) The message a colour conveys and thus it psychological effect is dependent on colours hue and the environment in which it sits. Even the slightest change it a hue nuance can alter its meaning. The materiality of the colour also plays a significant role in this process, which will be discussed later. The following will give and over the imagery and messages that the prominent hues are affiliated to. Red is a warm, stimulating colour with both positive and negative associations. It positive connotations include the aforementioned warmth due to its connection to fire, as well as passion, strength, activity and love. Its more negative affiliations include rage and aggression, ferocity, although these have served a purpose throughout history. An example of this in military, where red was used to change mind sets and convey a aggression. Red also represent blood, which to some may portray an unfavourable message, can also represent life. This is perhaps linked to early man who may have concluded that blood gave life after seeing blood leave the body a slaughtered prey. Love? Red is the dominant and attention grabbing colour as its focus point is behind the retina which give the impression that it is protruding pink? orange is a largely positive colour and is generally considered to have very few negative connotations. Although less assertive than red its is still vibrant and energetic, with lighter tone being cheering. Orange also has connections to nature reminding us of autumn and sunsets. Brown is a darker tone of orange which again has strong connections to nature, prompting thoughts of the earth. As it is earthly is suggest security and stability. However certain shade of brown may be less pleasant and dreary and even dispiriting. Yellow is considered to be the happiest colour due to it luminous and radiant nature and thus it tends to raise ones spirits. Perhaps its is most powerful and spiritual affiliation with the sun, and therefore with light and life. Yellow was also the colour of mercury in, best known for being the messenger of the god, but was the god of commerce and profit, as well as the god of the traveller, thus yellow can represent spiritual enlightenment. Green focus precisely on the retina and therefore is the easiest colour on the eye. As a result green is relaxing and refreshing. One of green major associations is nature and vigorous growth. Early rituals were based around the lush green of vegetation and thus is a symbol of food and life, and as a subsequence in Christianity represents hope and immortality. Green also has significant religious value in Islam where it is regarded as a holy colour. In stark contrast certain variations of green can convey a message of mould and decay and as a result death. Depending on its position between yellow and blue green has different effect, a green closer to yellow will appear to be more stimulating where as bluish green appear cooler and more tranquil Blue like green is relaxing and retiring, but appear cooler than green although darker tones appear to feel warmer. Materialtiy also affects its relative warmth, a dark blue, thick carpet will not provoke a cold feeling. Blue induces feelings of calmness and as a result contemplation and due to its obvious connection to water blue gives expresses cleanliness. However if not used correctly blue can be cold and depressing as refered to in the phrase I have the blues. Blues symbolism has a number of cultural variations. In Rome blue was the colour of a philosopher robe and reflected wisdom. In China blue symbolises immortality and holiness to Hebrews. purple/violet white symbolises many positive things, architecture it prompts a sense of openness and freedom, a white space will always feel more expensive, however if the portion of white is to greater it gives a sense of emptiness. From a multi-discipline perspective, white conjures images of cleanliness, purity, innocence and peace. In Asia white is the colour of mourning but in a positive way, as the believe that death on this earth is the beginning of a better life. black grey Over and under stimulation In terms of of both physiological and psychological factors the balance of stimulation is important in providing the right environment. Both over-stimulation and under-stimulation can have adverse affects on our well-being and the overall impression of a space. For an environment to be most beneficial a balanced variety should be sort. Balance is the securing of unity midst variety. Both variety and unity are required to sustain interest, and these opposing forces must be balanced. Variety is necessary to attract and arouse interest; unity is essential to create a favourable impression and desires. Variety overdone is confusing and unpleasant. Unity overdone is monotonous. The mark of colour arrangement is knowing where to stop between these extremes Exposure to an overly complex visually chaotic environment or extremely monotony, whether it be through colour, pattern or contrast can effect us physiologically by triggering changes in rates of breathing, blood pressure and pulse, thus lead to increased stress levels Over stimulation can induce an increase in muscle tension and is believed to increase ones susceptibility to infection which can lead to ulcers and coronary disease. Surprisingly dull under-stimulating environments can cause increases in heart rate. With no external stimulation one becomes more aware of there inner self. Subject to individuals mentally and nature if their thought, this can lead to fear, anxiety and distress. On a psychological level an under stimulating and thus sensory deficiency setting is known to lead to a lack of concentration, restlessness and irritability. Under stimulation can also lead to perception disorders. It cannot be stressed enough that the balance between unity and complexity is the first and most important rule in the design in beneficial environments However in certain situation it can be the designer objective to create space which are under stimulating. It space may be design as a spiritual and contemplative space which encourages one to look inside themselves for enlightenment To understand the extent of light and colours effect, we must consider it on its own as well as the how it reacts and relates to its environment. Our cognition of light and colour can be largely influenced by how they contrast with there surroudings. There a number of different contrast relationships which alter the way perceive and distinguish: Light-Dark Contrast In its simplest terms this is the contrast between light and shadow. But can also refer the to difference between lightness of colours, but the contrast is most prominent in the achromatic i.e. when no hue is involved. Light dark contrast can be useful for differentiating space. However too great a contrast will cause visual fatigue and strain. Chromatic-Achromatic contrast. Combining the chromatic with the achromatic will alter the perceived intensity and luminosity of the chromatic colour. White and grey nuances weaken a colours luminosity and therefore can be used to neutralise. On the other hand black increase a colours luminosity. Complementary Contrast Complementary contrast occurs between two colour which are as different as possible, location directly opposite on a colour wheel. Each complementary contrast has its own unique feature. For example a contrast between orange and blue gives the greatest warm-cool definition and a yellow-violet contrast give the most intense light-dark contrast. Effect/importance Intensity contrast Describes the contrast between colours of the different saturation. Intensity contrast is best used when a when small amount of pure colour are used as an accent amongst muted colours, which give a particular feature emphases while maintaining the over ambiance of the space. Quantity Contrast Quantity contrast is the proportional relationship between the colours in a space. The proportion of a particular colour plays major role in establishing spatial definition and impression Flicker Contrast licker is a over stimulating contrast, occurring when intense colours with similar lightness or darkness are combined is a space. This type of contrast shows that the colouration has not been considered appropriately, flicker contrasts should be avoid. There are two other physiological contrast which also need to be taken into account when assessing the impact of colour, successive contrast and simultaneous contrast. Simultaneous contrast is the phenomenon where by a colour will be perceived differently with a different foreground, background or environment. For example if a neutral grey is place on a surrounding colour background the grey will appear to have a hint of the complementary colour of the background colour. The perceive change is not reality but is a result of ones colour sensation. Simultaneous contrast does not just affect hue and saturation but also brightness. For example grey will appear lighter against a darker background Successive contrast is a phenomenon where by if one is subjected to a colour stimulus for an excessive amount of time an after image of its complementary colour will occur. For example if one stares at a red surface for a prolonged period of time then look at a white surface, the white surface will appear to be blue green. This after-image is believed to be the result of fatigue. The affect is temporary but nevertheless can be disturbing. e.g.? The physiological reality is that the eye requires any given give colour to be balanced by its complementary, and will generate it if it is not present. Complementary colours also provide psychological balance to warmth and coolness of colour. The after image is a physiological effect which indicates than use us of complementary colours the the most effective way of creating a harmonious space Synesthesia Synesthesia (Greek, syn= together + aisthesis= perception) is a neurological condition in which the stimulation of one sensory modality evokes a experience in another modality, or the crossing of two or more sense. Light and colour not only stimulate the sense of sight but arouses sensations in many other of the other senses through visual and non visual means. Perception of weight as a general rule darker and more saturated colours will appear to be heavier and more dense than lighter and less saturated colours. Warmer colours will also seem heavier than the cooler coolers if the same hue Perception of volume and distance The lighter a space is the more open it will be perceived to be thus a space will appear to have a larger volume than a dark space. Within a space lighter colours, cooler colours and small patterns will appear to recede. With darker or more saturated seeming the protrude thus making distances seem shorter. Perception of temperature it is widely believed that visually, colour can alter our perception of whether a room is warm or cool. Since the formation of the hypothesis several experiments have been observed which seem to prove what was thought . One such example is described by Johannes Itten in his book The Elements of Colour, is experiment illustrates a significant difference in the temperature at an individual felt cold in different coloured room Occupants of the blue-green felt that 59 degrees Fahrenheit was cold, where as the temperature had to fall to 52 degrees Fahrenheit in the red-orange room before the subjects felt cold evidence from a corresponding Norwegian study drew a similar conclusion, in which subjects set a thermostat four degrees lower in a red room compared to a blue room. However test also showed that the effect where only temporary and after a period of time the effects begin to diminish. Perception of Taste and Odours Certain colours can evokes associations with tastes or smells. Colours such as lavender, pale yellow and pink have pleasant associations with smell and colours such as coral, soft yellow and light green are associated with pleasant tastes. These affiliations can be useful in industrial situation to help improve unpleasant environments Perception of Sound Gestalt psychologists such as Heinz Warner, Krakov, Allen and Schwartz have produced evidence that strong odour and taste can alter our perception of colour. It is suggested that strong taste and odours make us more less sensitive to red and more to green. On a similar note through colour association can be used to offset loud environments. For example one may mentally connect highly saturated warm colour with being loud, cool and low saturated colour having the opposite effect, thus cool or low saturated colour can be used to help offset noisy environments a noisy atmosphere will be experienced subjectively as nosier or more bothersome if paint with glaring yellows or reds. Shrill and high pitched sounds may be offset by olive green Perception of Time Some researchers believe that light, colour and pattern can alter our estimation of time. One theory is that subdued, monotonous spaces cause one to overestimated time. Perhaps this is related to boredom and under-stimulation. It is a common conception that time passes more quickly when one is enjoying themselves. Light, colour and our perception of space. Space remains in oblivion without light. Lights shadows and shades, its different sources, its opacity,transparency, translucency and conditions of reflection and refraction intertwine to define or redefine space. Light subjects space to uncertainty, forming a kind of tentative bridge through fields of experience Steven Holl The way we use and perceive a space is greatly influence by light and colour along with the factors described. Above the have the ability to define boundaries and differentiate spaces. They provide orientation and consciously and unconsciously affect how we move through a building. Furthermore due to the synesthetic sensations they induce as described above, light and colour alter the perceived dimensioning of a space. Space, as we experience it in architectural settings is a result of our entire perceptual system. One sees the environment not with the eyes but with eyes-in-the-head-on-the-body-resting-on-the-ground As we have found out light and shadow can be a powerful tool with which to reveal meaning. However they also play a major role in defining our sense of space, if we manipulate light we alter our perception of architectural space. Before structure, walls, ceiling and floor, it was light which estbalished boundaries. At night a room for early man was defined by light admitted by fire, the extremity of which came when light faded into darkness.

Agatha Christie :: essays research papers

In the murder mystery by Agatha Christie, Murder on the Orient Express, her style of writing can be described as one of Christie’s best works, having an international trend, and being a genius with detective fiction. Murder on the Orient Express was a great book and should be read by all.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  “Agatha Christie is the world’s best known mystery writer.'; (Harper) All of her novels are known around the world as being very excellent. No one has read a Christie murder mystery they have not liked. Murder on the Orient Express is one of her most famous books. “This book is famous because it turns on a piece of misdirection and a solution which, in their day, were startlingly innovatory.'; (Lejeune) Throughout the whole novel, your thoughts are changed numerous amounts of time. You never know what is going to happen next. Agatha Christie knows just how to keep you interested in the story and to keep you wanting to read more and more. If you had to choose one of Christie’s novels to read, you should pick Murder on the Orient Express. Not only is she the best known mystery writer, but she is also known around the world.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  “She is the most widely published author of all time in any language, outsold only by the Bible and Shakespeare.'; (Harper) All of Christie’s works are sold around the world and also known to have an international trend. She puts a variety of characters in all of her novels. Murder on the Orient Express has characters from all over, such as Germany, Istanbul, France, America, Britain, and England. “This international trend in Christie’s views can be noted in Murder on the Orient Express. A slight shift is perceptible here in the British stock characters, and men like Christie’s Colonel Padgett 2 Arbuthnot one of the Orient Express passengers, are already beginning to seem quaint and old-fashioned.'; (218) She makes her stories even more interesting when she uses people from all over the world. When she writes using these people, she also adds in the language in which these people speak as well as placing them in different countries than from where they are originally from. When she mixes different people and cultures together, it makes the stories more fun and it even helps to make them more mysterious.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  All of Christie’s novels even contain the same characters. There are a variety of stories other than Murder on the Orient Express that contains the popular detective Hercule Poirot. Agatha Christie :: essays research papers In the murder mystery by Agatha Christie, Murder on the Orient Express, her style of writing can be described as one of Christie’s best works, having an international trend, and being a genius with detective fiction. Murder on the Orient Express was a great book and should be read by all.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  “Agatha Christie is the world’s best known mystery writer.'; (Harper) All of her novels are known around the world as being very excellent. No one has read a Christie murder mystery they have not liked. Murder on the Orient Express is one of her most famous books. “This book is famous because it turns on a piece of misdirection and a solution which, in their day, were startlingly innovatory.'; (Lejeune) Throughout the whole novel, your thoughts are changed numerous amounts of time. You never know what is going to happen next. Agatha Christie knows just how to keep you interested in the story and to keep you wanting to read more and more. If you had to choose one of Christie’s novels to read, you should pick Murder on the Orient Express. Not only is she the best known mystery writer, but she is also known around the world.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  “She is the most widely published author of all time in any language, outsold only by the Bible and Shakespeare.'; (Harper) All of Christie’s works are sold around the world and also known to have an international trend. She puts a variety of characters in all of her novels. Murder on the Orient Express has characters from all over, such as Germany, Istanbul, France, America, Britain, and England. “This international trend in Christie’s views can be noted in Murder on the Orient Express. A slight shift is perceptible here in the British stock characters, and men like Christie’s Colonel Padgett 2 Arbuthnot one of the Orient Express passengers, are already beginning to seem quaint and old-fashioned.'; (218) She makes her stories even more interesting when she uses people from all over the world. When she writes using these people, she also adds in the language in which these people speak as well as placing them in different countries than from where they are originally from. When she mixes different people and cultures together, it makes the stories more fun and it even helps to make them more mysterious.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  All of Christie’s novels even contain the same characters. There are a variety of stories other than Murder on the Orient Express that contains the popular detective Hercule Poirot.

Date Rape :: essays research papers

Date Rape In an ideal world, all men would be caring , respectful, and protective. This is not an ideal world; every woman has a responsibility to herself and to understand the risks and to protect herself fagainst them (Date Rape: The Danger is Not From a Stranger 13). One of the biggest risks from a male to a female is date rape. Date rape is the crime in which the victim, most of them women, is forced in to having sexual intercourse by someone they are familiar with (1). 1 in 4 women will be raped in their life time. This is a very scary, yet true statistic. Women need to understand what is going on with the situation of date rape, and be looked on less as the problem, so more women will come out and report the incident. It is not in any way the woman's fault for being the victim of date rape, but it is the fault of the rapist, and the rapist should pay the consequences. The question might come up...why would a man force a woman to have sex, or why would a woman doubt that it happened, or that she was forced? Well, there are many reasons. A lot of these reasons having to do with how American kids are raised. Boys are brought up thinking they are strong and aggressive, while on the other hand, girls are brought up being passive and "what you say goes" (Shuker-Haines and Stark 23) . This shouldn't be going on in our society...not with the advancements we have made in our country. It is sometimes said that the woman who was the victim of rape shared fault for the rape for wearing a skirt too short, or maybe if she stops over at his house. It shouldn't matter what women wear, or where they are. If a woman says no to sexual activity, then everything should stop. There are also ways that men "mis-interperate" things women say. For instance, when women say "no", they mean "not yet...keep trying", or men think it is okay to be rough, as long as there is no injury, or if the women agrees to kidding, necking, etc...then she wants intercourse. Some men also look at women as "fair game" if the woman is not a virgin. There seems to also be confusion whether rape was commited in instances like when a sexually active couple had been drinking and the woman says no to having sex, but is too drunk to do anything so sex occurs. Date Rape :: essays research papers Date Rape In an ideal world, all men would be caring , respectful, and protective. This is not an ideal world; every woman has a responsibility to herself and to understand the risks and to protect herself fagainst them (Date Rape: The Danger is Not From a Stranger 13). One of the biggest risks from a male to a female is date rape. Date rape is the crime in which the victim, most of them women, is forced in to having sexual intercourse by someone they are familiar with (1). 1 in 4 women will be raped in their life time. This is a very scary, yet true statistic. Women need to understand what is going on with the situation of date rape, and be looked on less as the problem, so more women will come out and report the incident. It is not in any way the woman's fault for being the victim of date rape, but it is the fault of the rapist, and the rapist should pay the consequences. The question might come up...why would a man force a woman to have sex, or why would a woman doubt that it happened, or that she was forced? Well, there are many reasons. A lot of these reasons having to do with how American kids are raised. Boys are brought up thinking they are strong and aggressive, while on the other hand, girls are brought up being passive and "what you say goes" (Shuker-Haines and Stark 23) . This shouldn't be going on in our society...not with the advancements we have made in our country. It is sometimes said that the woman who was the victim of rape shared fault for the rape for wearing a skirt too short, or maybe if she stops over at his house. It shouldn't matter what women wear, or where they are. If a woman says no to sexual activity, then everything should stop. There are also ways that men "mis-interperate" things women say. For instance, when women say "no", they mean "not yet...keep trying", or men think it is okay to be rough, as long as there is no injury, or if the women agrees to kidding, necking, etc...then she wants intercourse. Some men also look at women as "fair game" if the woman is not a virgin. There seems to also be confusion whether rape was commited in instances like when a sexually active couple had been drinking and the woman says no to having sex, but is too drunk to do anything so sex occurs.

Maori Art Essay -- essays research papers fc

When looking at Maori art, there is one thing that sticks out amongst everything else with me, and with most likely everyone that sees it for the first time, this is their tattooing skills. They are equipped with many other art skills such as their carvings, weaponry, and townhouses, but the tattoos represent the tribe as a whole and are visible on the people themselves.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The art of tattoo was brought to New Zealand by the Polynesians when they migrated to New Zealand. Men of the tribe are more elaborately tattooed than the women. Their entire faces may be covered as opposed to the women who may only have certain parts of their faces covered such as their chins, cheeks, upper lips, and between the eyebrows. This is to show the dominance in ranking of the men over the women. The fact that the women cannot advance as far as the men shows how that the Maori felt when it came to male dominance over the women.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Other parts of the body can also be tattooed and other colors such as red and blue have been used to tattoo as opposed to just black. The body Moko (tattoos) is used to mark achievements personally in one's life, and also achievements physically such as puberty. Again, these techniques are less practiced in women than in men.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Overall, the tattoos are used to recognize who the people are in each tribe. They specify things such as rank and faith. There are eight ranks among the Maor...

Reflections Theory

Reflections theory Introduction In this report I will be comparing two reflective theories, outlining their similarities and differences. I will be choosing the one I believe to be the best in my opinion. This will be the one I will be using in my end of year reflective account. The two reflective theories I will be looking at are, Johns Model of Structured Reflection and Gibbs’s Reflective Cycle. Theories There are two main differences between the two theories. Johns uses a linear structure, with a beginning and an end.However, Gibbs uses a more cyclic structure and has no defined beginning or end. John’s theory is also mainly aimed towards health care and talks about working with patients and their families. Gibbs on the other hand can be aimed more towards students and their experiences. Johns uses the 2 main headings: Looking in and looking out. Under Looking in there are 5 Sub-Headings: Aesthetics, Personal, Ethics, Empirics and Reflexivity. Johns for the most part requires the need to work with a supervisor and as such he calls this a guided reflection.It requires you to write a description of the experience before you begin the reflection, once you have done this it requires you to follow the questions as they come up. One of the advantage of Johns reflective model is that there is a clear Beginning and an end meaning the person looking back on their experience has a clear outline on where to begin and the process used in the reflection. However the issue with the reflexive pattern of knowing is that it will only be relevant for a situation that has been resolved.If your were trying to analyze a situation that’s was ongoing you would have to incorporate parts of another reflective model to help you. With Johns model of structured reflection you would not have to use all the questions within the model, but you could also use the questions a number of times if appropriate. Gibbs Reflective Model is easier to be used by students as it t alks about getting a clear understanding the situations. It uses the six main Headings: Description, Feelings, Evaluation, Analysis, Conclusion and Action Plan.It uses these heading to gain a clear understanding of what went on, what was the experience like for the person, how they interpreted the situation, what they could have done and what they would do again if the situation arose again. Because there is no defined structure and no definite beginning or end, there is the advantage that if the person going through the reflection of their experience and they look back on it they can add more information to each section as and when they think of it, so they can go back or forward to one of the headings and add in the information into the specific field.For example if they feel they need to talk about their feeling first they can do that or if they feel they need to evaluate the situation or talk about what they would do again, and add their input to it, as they can go through the c ycle as many times as they need to get all the information down. Gibbs also talks about what would we do different if the situation arose again. They both put great emphasis on the feelings and the emotions of the person throughout the reflection process. They both talk about what happened and try to make sense of the situation. They both also talk about ConclusionTo conclude the theory that I will be choosing for my reflective practice at the end of year is, Gibbs Reflective Cycle. I have chosen this reflective model for a number of reasons. I believe that Gibbs reflective cycle is more aimed towards Student whereas Johns is aimed more towards health care and talks about working with patients and their families. Gibbs reflective model is also easier to interpret and I believe it to be easier to use to analyze any given situation with the main headings it uses to gain information about the situation the feelings of the person and the experience the person underwent during any given situation.I believe it is easier to follow than Johns model of structured reflection. Gibbs reflective cycle does not require the need of a supervisor to aid the reflection whereas; John’s model talks about have one present to go through the reflection process. I will be using Gibbs Reflective cycle as I feel that it is more relevant to myself and it is clearer to follow and would be easier to use for my reflection process. References (2012) REFLECTION.Available: http://moodle. bcu. ac. uk/tee/pluginfile. php/116376/mod_resource/content/0/reflective_models. pdf. Last accessed 15th Dec 2012. (2012) About Johns’ model of structured reflection. Available: http://www. brookes. ac. uk/services/upgrade/a-z/reflective_johns. html. Last accessed 16th Dec 2012. (2012) About Gibbs reflective cycle. Available: http://www. brookes. ac. uk/services/upgrade/a-z/reflective_gibbs. html. Last accessed 16th Dec 2012.

Management Communications with Technology Tools

Managing organizational change and improvement is one of the most complex tasks of leadership. Leaders need to understand the change process in order to lead and manage change and improvement efforts effectively. Leaders must learn to overcome barriers and cope with the chaos that naturally exists during the complex process of change. Managers and other organizational leaders should assist workers and other stakeholders build effective teams by developing new organizational structures and creating a shared vision that focuses on mission accomplishment and developing new organizational structures and creating a shared vision that focuses on mission accomplishment and attainable objectives. When such inspired and informed leadership is applied, organizations can improve performance. As noted by Harrison (1993) use of the process-oriented approach to managerial decision making with its strong managerial emphasis and its objectives-oriented outcomes is the model recommended for decisions with discernible levels of uncertainty attendant on the outcome. Such decisions include those made at middle and upper levels of management both in the private and the public sectors where the consequences are of high levels of significance to the total organization. Included in this category are all decisions of a strategic nature and those involving appreciable commitments of resources directed towards the long-term enhancement of the corporation or institution. â€Å"The process model is ideal for these kinds of decision because it is forward looking in that it has a planning emphasis not apparent in the other models of decision making. The process model is oriented towards innovation and organizational change with a particular emphasis on long-term results. It relies principally on the judgment of the decision maker, but not to the exclusion of computation or compromise to fit special decision-making situations† (Harrison, 1993). According to Alexa Michael (2009) â€Å"a company needs accurate, reliable and timely information on performance, which must flow up through an organization regularly. It should be simple, easy to measure and focused on the long term†. One solution for managing organizational change and improvement according to David Blanchard (2009) â€Å"is developing a set of highly descriptive key performance indicators (KPIs) that include precise times, quantities and other numerical measurements so that everyone is on the same page about what it will take to achieve acceptable on-time, accurate and cost-effective performance levels†. Using a range of KPIs that include financial and non-financial measures to gauge how successful the business is in achieving its goals will improve its performance. The KPIs should be simple, easy to measure and focused on the long term. A company also needs to address the issue of cash-flow management. Managing cash-flow variability tops the agenda for most companies. â€Å"Identifying and fixing friction points that hinder operating capital as it flows across the balance sheet from inventory and payables to accounts receivable† (Driscoll, 2009) is an organizational change critical to a company’s long-term viability. Another organizational change for improvement is the idea of Lean Performance Improvement. Successful lean performance improvement initiatives have front-line workers generating, processing and implementing ideas. Using the high-performance idea system front-line employees drive the lean improvement process with regular and ongoing engagement with daily problems and opportunities. With successful organizational change a company can use this process-focused approach to build their own lean culture. Harrison (1993) tells us that â€Å"the components of the decision-making process for the process model are the functions of decision making which include setting managerial objectives, searching for alternatives, comparing and evaluating alternatives, the act of choice, implementing the decision, and following up and controlling the decision. The process model with its managerial emphasis drawing selectively on the disciplines of economics, mathematics, statistics, philosophy, psychology, sociology, political science, anthropology and law. The process model’s objective-oriented outcome approach best allows for successful adaptation of organizational change leading to long-term success†. The implementation strategy for the organizational change that includes the introduction of key performance indicators (KPIs), lean performance initiatives and cash-flow management will be both top-down and bottom-up. Clear communication that brings employees of all levels on board with the changes being made and how it affects them and the future of their company and job must be made. Ensuring that all stakeholders understand that they have a say in the success of their company and therefore increased success for themselves is paramount. The KPIs will be both financial and non-financial. KPIs will be used to monitor factors that are known to create value within the business. KPIs will help ensure that the following things are in place, â€Å"products and services that are attractive to consumers both now and in the future, clear objectives that are communicated properly to the workforce, desires for continuous improvement, useful management information and effective financial control, efficient services and distribution, good, well-informed managers, and regulatory compliance with minimum disruption to organizational routines† (Michael, 2009). Developing and using a checklist to monitor and asses these key performance indicators will be done. The checklist will be a series of questions that properly answered will help determine whether or not the company is getting value from their business and will eliminate a problem identified by Roger Chevalier (2009) in his article about analyzing performance where part of the problem with the performance was that â€Å"expectations for performance are unclear†. Answering the questions yes or no for both now and in the future will help look at the factors that can improve or destroy the value of the business. Questions such as, â€Å"spreading your buying/selling contracts too widely over time, hostage to one or two buying/selling contracts or customers/suppliers, sure your purchase/sales order books are firm and go forward far enough, buying/selling on a growing/declining trend in real terms, buying/selling any products at a loss, using cross-selling and up-selling techniques to improve sales, monitoring whether your purchases arrive on time and are of the right quality to meet your manufacturing schedules, satisfied that your suppliers’ terms, and your own terms to customers, are competitive, aware of the financial implications of your pricing policy, loyal to good customers/suppliers, scheduling orders to obtain better terms, developing your competitive position, fostering your company’s reputation and brand values, developing your business processes to create more value, enhancing staff skills to improve your competitive advantage† (Michael, 2009). Another strategy to implement that overlaps with the key performance indicators will be the lean performance improvement initiatives. â€Å"A successful lean implementation will result in various operational and financial improvements. Operational improvements include higher quality and productivity as well as lower nonproductive capacity and lead times. Some financial improvements realized from a successful lean implementation include increased cash flows, lower inventory levels, and lower costs† (Searcy, 2009). Successful lean performance improvement initiatives generate significant front-line involvement in identifying and implementing opportunities for improvement. As noted by Robinson and Schroeder (2009) in these initiatives ideas are integrated into everyday work, the emphasis is on small ideas, front-line performance metrics focus ideas on what is important, and both managers and workers are held accountable for their roles in the idea process. The strategy for implementing change with regard to the issue of cash-flow management will focus on forecasting as the key activity to improve. The forecasting of cash outflows and cash inflows both need to be accurate. According to Mary Driscoll (2009) â€Å"the bent of the typical finance function which tends to be accounting-oriented, concentrated on the accurate recording of journal entries and the consolidation of data from across the enterprise for statutory and management reporting†. Also according to the article by Driscoll (2009) â€Å"the key to cash-flow forecasting was more accurate demand forecasts†. Consideration of successful measurement techniques with the key performance indicators (KPIs) will be whether or not the business added value. Use the KPIs to ensure that the selling price covers costs of production and promotion. Use the KPIs to help the business work more closely with customers and suppliers to ensure a competitive advantage (Michael, 2009). Successful measurement of the lean performance improvement initiatives can be achieved by measuring employee morale and productivity. â€Å"Pyromation decided to integrate problem-identification and idea-generation into the regular work of front-line employees. Idea boards were set up, supervisors were trained in idea-meeting facilitation, and weekly shop-floor idea meetings were scheduled. In this way, front-line workers were given the opportunity to use the tools and techniques of lean production that they had been taught. The resulting stream of improvement ideas made an enormous difference. In two years, productivity increased by a third, lead-time was cut by 60 percent, and late deliveries were reduced by 70 percent† (Robinson and Schroeder, 2009). Successful measurement of the strategy for implementing change to cash-flow management will result in ensuring that â€Å"all managers understand that, in addition to the importance of earning a return on investments, the company needs steady cash flow to support operations and our credit position† (Driscoll, 2009). Ensuring the accuracy of cash in-flow estimates will require greater cooperation between management in getting speedy and precise analyses regarding booked sales that can be counted on as income and asking about sales pipelines, pricing, marketing effectiveness and channel viability. The internal revenue growth assumptions will need to be examined closely to ensure accuracy. If the internal numbers do not match industry outlooks the companies position will need to be reevaluated to ensure that it is not taking on a risky position. Managing organizational change and improvement requires leaders themselves to change. The leaders will have to bring in all stakeholders within the company into the management process. The leaders that overcome the barriers that traditional leadership throughout industry has always had in place will succeed in developing new organizational structures that create a shared vision focusing on the mission of the business. The shared vision in turn will improve the performance of the business which in turn increases the viability of the business. Working with the process model today’s leadership can eliminate the old management style of top-down leadership that did not value or effectively utilize the experience and front-line vision of its front-line employees. The process model can also be effectively used within the upper management as they improve the cash flow management of the business. Going beyond the traditional role of the accounting office and interacting with management from sales and production will enable cash flow analysis that carefully examines cash in-flow as well as cash out-flow creating a more solid financial picture of the business. This enhanced view of the balance ledger will enable the business to be better protected financially during turbulent business cycles. Identifying Key Metrics in Performance Measurement of Organizational Change ultimately involves more than just examining numbers on a data sheet. Those kinds of metrics, numbers on a data sheet, are valuable, but only within the context of the environment that they come from. The metrics that measure the human element are still the most important. The key performance indicators (KPIs), the lean performance improvement initiatives and the cash flow analysis all still require the human element to be useful.