Employment Law and Labor Relations Issues Essay

Equal opportunity is a descriptive term for an approach intended to give equal access to an environment or benefits, such as education, employment, health care, or social welfare to all, often with emphasis on members of various social groups which might have at some time suffered from discrimination. This can involve the hiring of workers and other such practices. Social groupings generally emphasized in such a way are those delineated by aspects of gender, race, or religion. In my workplace the Equal Employment Opportunity Policy is posted on almost every wall in the building. There are several issues that need to be addressed in my workplace. I work for a not-for-profit agency contracted with the Florida Department of Children and Families. We are an agency that tries to help families reunite once they have entered into the Family Law system. My job as a social worker is to promote social justice and social change with and on behalf of clients. â€Å"Clients† is used inclusively to refer to individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. Social workers are sensitive to cultural and ethnic diversity and strive to end discrimination, oppression, poverty, and other forms of social injustice. These activities may be in the form of direct practice, community organizing, supervision, consultation, administration, advocacy, social and political action, policy development and implementation, education, and research and evaluation. Social workers seek to enhance the capacity of people to address their own needs. Social workers also seek to promote the responsiveness of organizations, communities, and other social institutions to individuals’ needs and social problems. The main issue that needs to be addressed within my company is some issues pertaining to the Fair Labor Standards Act, holiday pay, and having an Human Resources Representative at our local site. I believe that my organization needs to take the time to explain to its employees what their rights are and what the laws of the state require. The Human Resource department for our agency is run out of Bethesda, Maryland. So every issue and or concern has to go through them. Because of the distance, it is very hard and time consuming for local employees at this agency to get things done in a timely manner, so a lot of things that should be addressed at employee orientation are not addressed until maybe the third month of employment when the HR administrator decides to take a trip to Florida. There are a lot of questions that we as employees have about holiday pay practices and what are the legal requirements. For example, I did not know that an employer is obligated to provide reasonable accommodation for the religious practices of its employees, unless it can show that the accommodation would result in undue hardship for its business. Many employers offer a â€Å"floating holiday† in addition to the regularly scheduled holidays. This allows an employee to take time off for religious observances that are not covered by the employer’s established holiday schedule. Courts addressing the issue of religious accommodation generally agree that unpaid time off can be a reasonable accommodation, as can allowing an employee to use a vacation day to observe a religious holiday. Generally, employers require that floating holidays be taken in the same year they are granted and do not allow these days to be carried over into the next year. Employees usually are required to give adequate advance notice of their intention to take a floating holiday. I also did not know that an employer doe s not have to pay hourly employees for time off on a holiday. An employer is only required to pay hourly employees for time actually worked. On the other hand, exempt employees (salaried employees who do not receive overtime), who are given the day off, must be paid their full weekly salary if they work any hours during the week in which the holiday falls. This requirement for exempt employees did not change under the new federal overtime regulations. Both of these statements can be very helpful when our employees what to take some time off or just to check to make sure they are treated fairly. There are a handful of labor laws that do generally protect U.S. workers. It’s probably fair to say that most employers adhere to these basic laws, because they’d be foolish not to if they want to stay out of court. But, that’s typically at the HR and legal-department levels, where the employees are properly trained in such matters. Companies are also made up of other employees, who might never have heard of labor laws or fully understand their significance. That’s one way problems occur, especially if HR and legal departments don’t bother to properly train those in control, like jerky bosses. Another way problems occur is that, for obvious legal reasons, HR and legal departments are unlikely to openly admit that employee complaints and accusations have merit, and the company is  liable. Worse, they might even protect the perpetrators more than the victims. In conclusion, it is very important that companies keep their policies up-to-date and follow them. Written policies tell your employees how they can expect to be treated and give you guidelines for applying the policies consistently. However, the policies must comply with legal requirements and you must follow them, or they may be used against you as evidence of violations of the law. Having these problems addressed in my organization could help it many ways, starting with establishing a good relationship between upper management and current employees and also establishing a steady line of communication. But this issue cannot be addressed until a local Human Resources department is establish at every local office so if employees do have question about employment law or current labor relation issues they can be addressed right then and there.

Wounds, Meds and Complex Care in Nursing Practice

1. The preoperative checklist on what needs to be done to take care of a patient can be found on the patient’s chart, usually under the doctor’s orders and/or the patient’s notes. 2. The National Institute for Clinical Excellence recommends that blood tests should be taken prior to having a surgery regardless of patient’s healthy condition, unless contraindicated. This is done to provide information about conditions that could affect the treatment that a patient would need (Lab Tests Online, 2004). Blood tests to be included in this routine preoperative testing are a full blood count, blood clotting tests, blood typing, blood gasses, blood glucose, and a sickle cell test (Lab Tests Online, 2004). A full blood count will measure haemoglobin and the number of other types of cells in the blood (Lab Tests Online, 2004). Blood typing is for blood transfusion, in case needed. Blood clotting test to determine if blood clots normally and how long it takes to clot (Lab Tests Online, 2004). Blood gasses, measures the amount of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the blood, as well as its acidity, and blood glucose to check for diabetes. Sickle cell testing if the patient has risk factors. 3. The registered nurse is responsible for reporting any discrepancies in the lab results of the patient to the physician in charge. 4. Preoperative education should include orienting the patient with the surgery that she is going to go through. Ask what she understood from the physician and answer her questions for further clarification. Afterwards, explain the patient what to expect during her recovery period, and what are her postoperative exercises. Also, enlighten the patient on the risks of post-op recovery like pulmonary embolus, DVT and UTI, and the possible ways on how to avoid these, through deep breathing exercises and wearing of anti-embolic stockings (University of South Australia, 2000). Finally, inform her of what other procedures are to be done after the surgery, for example, utilization of catheters and IV therapy. 5. A preoperative shower employs the use of a 2% chlorhexidine gluconate polyester cloth in scrubbing the patient’s body as a preventive preparation aimed at reducing the patient's skin colonization before the incision is made (Bjerke, 2001). . The anaesthesiologist is the one to administer the anaesthesia. 7. A general anaesthesia will make Mary unaware of what is happening during the operation, it will make her not feel anything, it will even put her to sleep (Rashiq, 2007). Penthidine is the analgesic of choice postoperative; to not feel pain (JBC Handbook, 1997). 8. An epidural anaesthesia is called an epidural block and requires the injection of anaesthetics in the epidural membrane that surrounds the spinal cord (Sarafino, 2006). Epidural blocks are most commonly administered during labour and delivery (American Pregnancy Association, 2007). . Marking the legs preoperative is done traditionally by estimating the position of the hip joint by palpation of the greater trochanter (The, 2006). 10. Epidural infection, nerve damage, backache, headache and urinary retention (Faure, 2000). 11. a. Ensure patient’s tag is the same with her chart. b. make sure patient is not wearing any metals, jewelleries, etc. c. ensure is certain about undergoing the operation d. ensure that patient has gone through all the necessary diagnostic tests e. ensure that patient is still on NPO. 12. The patient’s chart, diagnostic test results, patient’s consent. 13. Vital sign assessment has to be done every 15 minutes for the first hour and special attention will be brought to the patient’s respiration, due to the anaesthesia, and circulation and sensation of the extremities especially in the affected areas. Output is also monitored. Patient still on NPO until anaesthesia wears off totally. 14. No, this is a common postoperative effect. Continue monitoring output. 15. Decrease in urine output is common postoperative due to opioid drugs, immobility, and decreased oral intake (Merck, 2005). The physician may order Crede’s manoeuvre to be implemented and Betanechol can be administered (Merck, 2005). 6. Neurovascular checks are important to determine if there was nerve damage or internal bleeding and a circulation problem, or even infection, which could have been caused by the surgery. The neurovascular check is comprised of the five P’s, namely pain, paralysis, paraesthesia, pulses, and pallor (Judge, 2007). Check for thes e in the patient’s limbs. 17. Loss of pedal pulses might mean lack of arterial flow (Judge, 2007). This should be reported immediately to the registered nurse or the physician, whoever is readily available. 18. Any deviation from the normal baseline data regarding neurovascular checks should be reported immediately to the physician to avoid amputation of the affected extremity. 19. Log roll patient with abductor hip in place. To prepare the patient, she should be placed on one side of the bed, and rolled like a log to the unaffected side of the hip replacement. 20. A postoperative wash will make the patient feel comfortable and refreshed, also it will minimize infection. 21. Her pain might increase or decrease and this can signal a change in the source of pain. Also, the narcotic’s infusion rate can be changed if pain is lessened. 2. Two or more nurses to ensure that the correct rate is delivered. 23. As a student nurse, I cannot change infusion rates for narcotic pain relievers because I do not have the license yet that will make me accountable for any unpleasant consequence that might arise from the situation. Even under the watchful eye of my instructor, I cannot do it. 24. Na rcotics have to be watched for their side effects, especially respiratory depression. Observations that can be noted when a patient is with a narcotics infusion include clients respiratory rate, confusion and drowsiness (BP Cancer Agency, 2008). 5. Heparin injections are administered as a prophylaxis for blood clots (Science News, 1988). 26. Bleeding can be a complication of heparin use because it prevents clotting. Be wary of the following signs: black, tarry stools and bleeding from gums when brushing or flossing teeth, continued redness or pain after an injection, nosebleeds, red urine, unusual bruising coughing up blood (Drug Information Online, 2008). 27. Positive nitrate may indicate bacterial contamination, and traces of protein and blood are not alarming (Eccles Health Sciences Library, 2008). 28. Yes. This is because catheter removal will help in eradicating any possible bacterial contamination. 29. A urine specimen should be sent for a culture and sensitivity test to determine what bacteria is infecting the patient’s urinary tract. Sample should be sent to the laboratory immediately. 30. The needed equipment shall be gathered. After washing one’s hands and explaining to the patient what procedure is to be done and what the rationale behind it is, the drainage tubing directly below the aspiration port will be clamped with a rubber band or clamp (Integrated Publishing, 2007). This is to ensure that an adequate amount of urine for a specimen can be taken. A syringe will be used to aspirate the urine specimen. After gathering enough urine, the clamp shall be removed. 31. Inserting an indwelling catheter requires that the equipment needed be gathered first. Then the procedure is to be explained to the patient. She should be placed in a dorsal recumbent position. Using the sterile technique, the patient should be draped with sterile dressings. Sterile gloves will then be worn. Catheter tip is to be lubricated and placed on the sterile catheter tray. The labia are to be separated with the thumb and forefinger and a swipe of a swab with sterile povidone-iodine shall be done from the meatus toward the rectum. This shall be done thrice discarding each swab after one swipe. Catheter is to be inserted two to three inches into the urethra, and an additional inch once there is urine flowing. Balloon will be inflated once it is inside the bladder. Traction is gently applied to the catheter and drainage is taped to Mary’s thigh. (Kaplan, 2007) 32. To remove an indwelling catheter, a small syringe is attached to the inflation port on the side of the catheter and all the fluid is drawn out (Moore et al, 2007). Afterwards, slowly pull the catheter out (Moore et al, 2007). 33. Patients are on strict monitoring of fluid balance because they are receiving fluids through their IV therapies and postoperative patients are still weaning off from their anaesthesia, making urine retention a side effect. A positive fluid balance occurs when intake is greater than output, and a negative fluid balance happens when intake is lesser than output. 34. Fluid overload can bring about fluid and electrolyte imbalance, dysrhythmia, high blood pressure, non-pitting oedema, diarrhoea, projectile vomiting, among many others (Williams, 2008). Osmotic diuretics can be administered per doctor’s orders, patient should be on strict I&O, IV fluids should be checked hourly, fluids should be restricted (Williams, 2008). 35. The medications should also be reflected on the output of Mary if it is working. 36. total intake: 500ml IVF + 2160 ml tea and Milo + 360ml water = 3020 total output: 1400ml urination + bowel The patient is in a positive balance.

Respose paper for an Asian-American studies Essay

Respose paper for an Asian-American studies - Essay Example Their women as portrayed as exotic, sexualised and hence viewed as sex objects. They are viewed as passive, submissive and eager for sex people who serve white men love interests. They are also seen as sidekicks who are incompatible with the Americans. There is Caucasian present in various roles played by Asians in films. This has an effect on their self-esteem, self-image and how other societies perceive them advancing rate of racism. In the 2006, the film Slanted Screen, produced by Jeff Adachi, was about stereotypical depiction and absence of Asia American men in American films. It is not evident that Asian men are not present in films in a meaningful way. A certain Asian actor plays the role of an exotic lover who loses the girl at the end. Asian actors have also dominated the current pop culture in Hollywood. An interviewee Asian actor states that he was provided with options of playing a wimpy business man or a bad guy but he chose a bad guy because he wants kids who will grow watching his movies to know that Asian men are not weak characters, they got â€Å"guts†. The stereotype on Asian women is that they are sexy, exotic, submissive and subservient to the men. Slaying the Dragon is a film produced in the year 1988 by Deborah Gee is in this line of Asian women stereotypes. The film portrays the hypersexualisation of the Asian women. It also represents stereotypes of exoticism and docile nature of Asian women. This has a negative impact on the women from the Asia America society as people from other societies perceive them to have attributes that are shown in the films that stereotypically represent Asian Women. In cases where these women are not portrayed as sex objects in the movie, they are presented as tough warriors. This creates perceptions among individuals that Asian American women are tough and aggressive, characters that are often stereotypically associated with the men. Artistic freedom can liberalise and act in favour of Asian American

Metro Recreation History Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Metro Recreation History Assignment - Essay Example Abraham Lincoln is remembered in the U.S. history for the role he played in bringing to an end the institution of slavery. Lincoln was very vocal against slavery. His ascension to power prompted seven southern states to secede from the Union as a protest to presidents antislavery sentiments. Other four states followed suit later on prompting the start of the Civil War in 1861. In the course of the war, Abraham Lincoln delivered one of the most signification speeches against slavery that is popularly referred to as the Emancipation Proclamation. The Congress approved an amendment abolishing slavery in the United States. Unfortunately, Lincoln was assassinated in 1865 soon after the war came to the end. However, his message against slavery was deeply entrenched in the American constitution and nobody could reverse that. The congress reached a unanimous decision two years later to build Lincoln’s memorial. Lincoln Monument Association was charged with this responsibility. The sit e of the memorial was decided in 1901 and approval of the $2 million Lincoln Memorial Bill was reached in 1911 under President Taft. The memorial was officially dedicated to Lincoln’s memorial in 1922 by retired President Taft. In 1963, during the civil rights movements led by Martin Luther King, Jr., the essence of this memorial was once again brought to light. Dr. King delivered the famous â€Å"I have a dream† speech which reminded American of the Emancipation Proclamation which was signed by Lincoln. King called on America to rise up and grant blacks their full freedom as envisioned by the degree. Since then, the memorial has become synonymous with freedom and equality for every person living in the United States of America. Recreation is described as an activity someone engages in during their leisure or free time. This time is always acknowledged for its ability to instil or redeem so social

Financial Management & Improving Automotive Industry Essay

Financial Management & Improving Automotive Industry - Essay Example For example, by using balance sheet they can tell the company’s financial position at a specific point in time as it shows the assets and liabilities of the company. Solidity, liquidity and rentability or reliability of the company can also be reflected from the balance sheet. Profitability or the return on assets is another aspect of the company that is measured by the financial statement like the balance sheet. Profitability ratios show the combined effects of liquidity and asset management. If the solidity, liquidity, rentability or reliability and profitability ratios all look good, then the market value of the company is high. Cash is important for the operation of the company but at the same time variable due to several factors like the cash flow. Thus, there should be cash planning, cash management, and cash reserve involved in a company’s financial management. Cash flows can be from operative, investment or financing activities. Cash flow analysis is important for the company as this will provide clues about its financial position. Evaluation of investment projects will help the company to evaluate performances of each investment project and tell whether it will improve or not the financial position of the company. This will help financial managers to analyse ways of improving their financial performance. Capital budgeting is also about planning expenditures on assets whose cash flows are expected beyond one year. Just like in cash management, there is a need for strategic management and planning for the capital. The growth of the company and its ability to remain competitive and to survive will depend on how its finances are budgeted and managed. In any industry the need to develop the efficiency of production and of the working environment of the company is necessary to ensure that the organization is able to meet its needs. The automotive industry, the

Hills beyond a river by Ni Zan Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Hills beyond a river by Ni Zan - Term Paper Example The essay "Hills beyond a river by Ni Zan" discovers the artwork by Ni Zan. Ni Zan earned the designation as one of the four masters of the Yuan dynasty along with Huang Gongwang, Wang Meng, and Wu Zhen because of his dedication on his art work and being active as a painter despite witnessing the transformation of his country into another form of government. Although he was born in an elite family in Jiangsu province, Southeast of China, he did not take advantage of their wealth to be schooled instead he spent more time in poetry recitals and paintings. Ni Zan who is also known as Yuan Zhen refused to join in any political and military activities in the government and to serve under the leadership of Zhang Shicheng who commanded Suzhou during those times. It was also this time that scholars were discouraged to participate in any affairs in the court but instead embark in â€Å"self cultivation† practice. Although, Yuan dynasty under the ruling of a Mongol leader, Kublai Khan c aused division of the Mongols and the imperial dynasty of China that resulted in disorganization within the government and social instability, the government did not strip the artists of their freedom to express their mind through their work. With this situation, Ni Zan went on travelling in the Southern part of China which is more peaceful at that time with his family during the fading years of the Yuan dynasty. When in the South, however famine struck in the region where Ni Zan lives which eventually lead the peasants to revolt. The reaction of Ni Zan with the situation is to leave the region and decided to give up his possessions including his paintings to his friends. He opted to live onto a houseboat he believes could give him the solitude he craves. His art works earned enough for their living as it was highly valued. It is believed that the elements and how he organized his paintings are all influenced by his contemporaries and on the situation he was in. When one looks at th e landscape painting â€Å"Hills beyond a river†, the first element he can appreciate are the trees because they were sketched to appear closer to the viewer. The viewer can see ordinary trees of different heights at the center firmly standing in a small mass of land that is slightly elevated from the pool of water below. The trees are observed to be a little scattered at the middle of the small island within the center of the painting. Further, it is obvious that the trees do not have much foliage but only enough to let the trees thrive for quite some time. The trees also look like they are drying especially the small one at the right side because it has no leaves at all. One cannot see other trees on either at the background or on the hills on the side. The visual acuity moves down to the basement of the painting where you can find a pool of water that looks like a river or a bigger lake steadily in place. Although, the elements used are nature, it is impossible to glimpse figure of animals or other form of life in the area. In between the small hills is a silent stream flowing by. Small stones can be seen to where the stream flows to meet with the bigger pool of water below. Small shrubs or plants are discernible on the small mass of hills on both the right side and left side from where the trees stand. On the

Since the early 20th century, ideologies such as Arab nationalism Essay

Since the early 20th century, ideologies such as Arab nationalism Ba'thism and pan-Islamism have enjoyed varying degrees of su - Essay Example Confronted with the obvious failure of Arab ideologies, specifically Arab nationalism, Ba’thist Arab Socialism, and pan-Islamism, to achieve wider Arab unity, several intellectuals resorted yet again to religion. An unnamed writer in Jordan described the experience of the Arab world in the ideological domain throughout the 20th century, and concluded that the Arab world â€Å"never enjoyed a comprehensive ideology except under the State of the Prophet Muhammad and his great Caliphs, Abu-Bakr and Umar† (Rejwan, 1974, p.32). This essay discusses why ideologies such as Arab nationalism, Ba’thism, and pan-Islamism have failed to achieve a wider Arab unity. Arab Nationalism and Arab Unity It was only at the end of the First World War that the relevant concept of the ‘Arab nation’ surfaced and Arab nationalism slowly became a political movement. Intellectuals instead of political figures were at the vanguard of the movement. They adopted the ideology of na tionalism from Europe and they utilised it to break new ground for the Arab nation (Young, Zuelow, & Sturm, 2007). However, Arab nationalism was an utter failure. There were challenging, overwhelming hindrances along its route. Primarily, there were rivalling allegiances to religion, faction, and tribe, as well as opposing identities. Moreover, there was persistent conflict between Egypt, Syria, Iraq, and other regional states and the bigger, inclusive Arab identity. The other, and possibly most unexpected, barrier to the idea of a united Arab world was linguistic differences in the region (Choueiri, 2005). However, the most influential rival of the notion of a secular Arab world was the idea of a unified Islamic community. Islam was one of the grand cosmopolitan ideologies with a right to the loyalty of most Arabs. Islam is more encompassing than pan-Arabism for it did not set apart Arab from non-Arab. The Islamic community was a union wherein ethnic background is irrelevant. Given these profound and persistent rifts and differences, it was an almost unachievable mission to attain the two core goals of Arab nationalism—sovereignty and unity. Another goal was created at the end of the Second World War—to protect Arab ownership of Palestine. The 1948 Arab-Israeli War was the critical stage in the fight for Palestine (Joffe, 1983). It was expected that Arab unity would be built on the combat zone against a single adversary. It was the most important ordeal for the newly autonomous Arab states, but they did not pass the test. The failure of these states to synchronise their military and political campaigns was one of the main reasons for the defeat of Palestine (Podeh, 1999). The hopeful possibilities that emerged once the Arabs conducted war against the Zionist enemies raised disenchantment and anguish over the miserable destruction of Arab Palestine. A very unique aspect of modern-day Arab nation is the startling discrepancy between vision and rea lity. Pan-Arabism is the declared ideology among the powerful elite and the dominant belief among the Arab people, but the Arab nation still struggles with the decline of civil life and deep-rooted disunity. Attempts at political and social unity have been prevented by oppressive situations,

The Interactional View Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Interactional View - Essay Example When she revoked the permission, I was so mad at her that I did not talk to her for a month, while I also blamed my father for enabling my mother’s domination over my life. By not talking, it means that I did not communicate with her closely like I used to. The Interactional View helps me understand the impact of family relationships on family communication exchanges and individual behaviors. The Interactional View sees the family as a system of units that influence one another. Indeed, in my situation, my mother’s behavior affected my behavior, while I further connected my behavior to my father’s lack of action on the matter. In the context of a game, the rules are the following: 1) If my mother decides on something, my father implicitly supports it by not questioning her decisions, and 2) Children must obey their parents because they know what is best for the former. These rules do not mean that my father is underneath the power of my mother, but I can see that he wants to avoid conflict with her. The result of the rules of the game in our family is that I lose my agency or control over my life. My parents can change the rules as they wish, but I cannot do anything about it. As a dutiful daughter, I am bound by these rules. I may resent them, but I continue to follow them because I believe in respecting my family’s decisions. Apart from seeing the family as a system governed by the rules of game, The Interactional View asserts the existence of axioms of interpersonal communications. Family homeostasis is central to these axioms because it refers to the unspoken complicity of family members in preserving the status quo. The rules of the game, no matter how dysfunctional, can result to a sense of family homeostasis, though the homeostasis may not be good for the family as a whole or for specific family members. In my case, my parents and I contribute to the family homeostasis because no one directly questions or opposes the rules of the game. I follow my parents’ decisions, even if I do not always agree with them, because saving their face and family values are more important to me than my autonomy. My father also implicitly supports our family homeostasis because he does not conflict with my mother’s decisions. My mother also supports father’s decisions, though when it comes to their children, she is more vocal than my father. The first axiom of The Interactional View states that communication is so constant that to not communicate is a form of communication in itself. Watzlawick explains the concept of symptom strategy, where a person explains the cause of silence as something external, and so verbal communication does not occur. The person makes it look like he/she cannot control his/her silence. One time, my mother asked me why I was not responding to her text messages. I told her that I was busy in the library, which was my symptom strategy. By not saying anything through not answering her text messages, I justified my action through a symptom strategy. In reality, I was mad at her because my best friend and I made numerous plans for the weekend, and I was quite excited to spend two whole days with her. All of those plans

Sustainability And Energy Efficiency In Housing Essay

Sustainability And Energy Efficiency In Housing - Essay Example ceiling insulation; area of north-facing windows; floor insulation; amount of thermal mass; wall insulation, etc. (Healy, 2004) Traditional and current practice in relation to health and safety issues in energy efficient and sustainable housing Housing and health outcomes have been related for many years, but only recently this interrelation has acquired sufficient support through changing construction techniques. 'Housing sustains and supports human life and thus housing environments directly and indirectly impact on health, social support, absence of disease, quality of life and well-being'. (Givoni, 1976) This is why housing and energy-efficient sustainable housing should be looked at as one of the fundamental parts of the society as a whole. There has been conducted serious research as for the practices in housing and health outcomes. Promoting construction worker and home occupant health is a strong component of sustainable design. Sustaining the health of construction site workers involves choosing less-toxic material alternatives and providing worker training in specialized installation procedures. There are several strategies that are important for addressing the health of home occupants over the long term. These i nclude designs that provide for foundation radon venting in areas where radon is a concern. (Sunnikka, 2000) Energy-sufficient sustainable housing is the notion which includes the role of health of the future residents; for example, in the energy-efficient housing indoor temperatures are stabilized through the use of the adequate thermal mass (Williamson & Bennets, 2002), which ultimately leads to the decrease of the diseases which are directly connected with the rapid changes of temperatures (it is especially relevant... This essay stresses that the interrelation of housing, energy efficneicy, sustainability and health outocomes have acquired additional meaning in the recent years through understanding that the threats of energy and ecological crises should be reduced in every area possible. Housing has become the means of teaching people how to save finances through building and adjusting houses to energy-saving technologies, thus making the environment suitable for living. This paper makes a conclusion that many European and other countries have developed a number of policies in relation to energy efficiency in housing; making it state program and priority for the aims of general health improvements as well as with understanding that energy efficiency should be promoted at the state level to make it work effectively. Such policies include basic requirements to each type of construction and housing stage, starting with the siting of the house, finishing with the position of windows and level of wall and ceiling insulation. Design of sustainable houses is acquiring more popularity; despite stating that new houses are becoming less affordable, and energy saving technologies are too expensive to be implemented across all layers of society, it is understandable, that with the help of various state policies the realization of these aims will become real and will lead to the improved design of houses in general, as well as to higher energy efficiency which is achieved through following basic housing and construction requirements.

Politics and Religion Essay Example for Free

Politics and Religion Essay Do Religion And Politics Go Hand In Hand? Of Course They Do! Religion in politics has long been a taboo subject or elusive topic to most as they argue that they cannot cohesively coexist together when in all actuality they can and do coexist together. Religion and politics essentially belong together like mashed potatoes and gravy so to speak. However, all around the world the extent to which they coexist varies depending on the cultural influence as well as historical significance pertaining to their area. Religion plays a huge role in American politics. During the 2012 election year people were polled on the importance of religion in their lives and 56 percent said that it is â€Å"very important in their lives. † (Miller) Religion plays a substantial role in politics from influencing how some politicians will cast their vote on certain issues to persuading voters to vote for one candidate or another. Although America prides itself on its religious diversity and separation of church and state however it is a prove fact that religion helps determine who a voter will cast their ballot for. A Gallup poll from June of 2012 discovered that 58 percent of Americans would vote for a Muslim candidate while only 54 percent of Americans would vote for an atheist candidate. When polled it also found that only 1 in 5 Americans would vote for a Mormon candidate which could have essentially cost Romney millions of votes due to his religious preference. Indeed we have seen religion play a very influential role in politics in 2012. Religion and politics were very closely tied together during the presidency of George Walker Bush. â€Å"In the eyes of a lot of people religion played a bigger role in government than usual during the presidency of George W. Bush. President Bush evoked God in his speeches more often than other presidents, stated in interviews that God advised him on certain actions and that he firmly believed that he was enacting God’s will as the chief executive of the United States. (Oganesian) Even our Declaration of Independence closely ties religion and politics together with such statements as, â€Å"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. † Notice that Creator is capitalized and undeniably it states that we are endowed certain unalienable rights from our Creator. This can either be someone’s higher power if they choose to call it by that name or simply it could be God. Does religion truly belong in politics? This may very well be one of the toughest questions ever asked in this day and age. Religion delves on the belief in good and morality while politics are the workings and dealings of the administration of government. We are a Nation that was founded on Moral Values, Decency and the rule of law. God’s laws will always play a part in politics. If you examine our money even it says,† In God We Trust. † Truly separation of church and state will never be fully successful. When our President is sworn in to the oath of office even he has to swear on a Holy Bible. Is he not the highest ranking government official in our nation? Yet even he has to follow the rules and guidelines that deal with religion. Over and over again we see how closely religion and politics are actually entwined with one another. According to Djupe and Olson, psychological approaches to the study of religion and politics â€Å"view the key attachment point between religious faith and political commitments as the individual’s identification with religious reference groups† (2007:256). Leege and his colleagues noted that the psychological power of group identification is essential to religion’s effect on politics. For example, groups form the basis of cleavage in a larger society for a variety of cultural and political reasons: (1) whether based on voluntary affiliation or generational replacement, groups socialize members into their values ;( 2) through processes of social identification; groups develop consciousness of kind so that it is possible for members to say â€Å"we hey†; (3) through the interaction of members, a sense of social cohesion develops that provides reinforcement for group identity and norms; and (4) through an advantageous political shorthand, political elites think of society in terms of groups. (2002:49–50) Political issues such as abortion and even same sex marriages are governed by some underlying religious values. For example, many laws dealing with these issues are either vetoed or not put into law by the people who in turn use their religious values to help them vote on the topic. Many states still outlaw homosexual marriages because when it is put on the ballot those who believe that it is wrong vote against it so such laws cannot be passed. Many top politicians think of society in terms of groups whether they be religious groups or political groups. We live in an increasingly religious world in which faith and belief affect every dimension of our existence, so our politicians better talk about it. (Marshall, 2008) Religion does not exist in solitude or expressly by itself. It molds our fundamental view of the essence of human life and the morality in which we should live our lives. Going back to the Constitution the First Amendment guarantees â€Å"the free exercise of religion and prohibits the establishment of religion by the government. † By guaranteeing the free exercise of religion and prohibiting the establishment of religion by the government these principles are working together to protect religious freedom as well as a diversely thriving and religious landscape. The role of religion in politics around the world is sometimes controversial at best however even in other countries politics and religion are closely tied together. Even in post-communist countries such as Latvia political parties and religious groups have alliances which can sometimes sway their supporters to vote for a certain political force. The â€Å"Harmony Center†, that positions itself as an alliance of several (but not all) Social Democratic parties, also demonstrates special courtesy to the church. (Tcraudkalns, pg5) Even in Australia where their reputation for â€Å"godlessness† dates back to the nineteenth century where most places had pubs before they had a church religion and politics are still tied closely together. Australia has a unique way of describing politics and religion in terms of masculinity and femininity. â€Å"This reference to Australian â€Å"maleness† suggests that discussions of the relationship between politics and religion are always also discussions about gender. The association of masculinity with the public realm and rationality, and of femininity with religious faith and the home, makes this impossible to avoid. † (Bellanta, pg10) Although there has never been an established church in Australia the churches that are large and established have had a specific presence and role in public matters. However secular Australia proclaims to be religion has a new found role for itself which proves it has not been abolished. Gustavo Gutierrez, a Peruvian theologian, has provided since the late 1960s a theological interpretation of the person of God and his work that has been closely linked with human history, and particularly with the poor and the marginalized. (Aguilar pg. 146) Gutierrez believed that a direct connection of the Christian faith and the practice of politics could be felt as a result of Christ’s incarnation. He closely tied together religion and politics through the human commonality and to the practice of religion and politics centered on the poor, on the commandment of love and of service to the marginalized as a way of life and in a new era of hermeneutics and commonality. Gutierrez relied heavily on biblical text to tie together religion and politics through the service of the poor. When reading Gutierrez’s writing there is no concise separation of religion and politics. He clearly stated that the practice of religion as well as the practice of politics must be conveyed through the Christian faith. In the words of Gutierrez: â€Å"We shall not have our great leap forward, into a whole new theological perspective, until the marginalized and exploited have begun to become the artisans of their own liberation—until their voice makes itself heard directly, without mediation, without interpreters—until they themselves take account, in the light of their own values, of their own experience of the Lord in their efforts to liberate themselves. We shall not have our quantum theological leap until the oppressed themselves theologize, until â€Å"the others† themselves personally reflect on their hope of a total liberation in Christ. For they are the bearers of this hope for all humanity. † Nigeria’s view on politics and religion are that they mix like â€Å"snake oil and fire water. † It is said that Nigerians are some of the most prayerful people on Earth however Olaye is upset that politicians speak godly words to one another without acting on it. We are taught in the U. S. enerally not to mix religion and politics I our conversation however that does not ring true in Nigeria because they do quite opposite of that. Although Nigeria’s Federal Executive Council is taking prayer from the beginning of public events they are still going to read the pious words of the second stanza of Nigeria’s national anthem. (Sample: â€Å"Oh God of creation. Direct our noble course. Guide our leaderà ¢â‚¬â„¢s right. †(Olaye) Olaye wishes that Nigeria politicians would stop the hypocrisy and says until they do that their country will continue to suffer. In Egypt even the Secretary General has an interesting view on politics and religion. He expressed hope that Muslims would draw a line so that â€Å"politics does not dominate religion, and religion does not dominate politics†. (Ihsanoglu) Two of the main fears in Egypt right now after the fall of Hosni Mubarak are actually related to religion. They are religious identity politics and the largest minority of the religious demographic Coptic Christians. He believes in mutual respect and non-interference between the Islam religion and Egyptian political order. These beliefs are showing us that all over the world no matter how separate people try to keep church and state they are actually inevitably entwined together with no line of separation in sight. Some well-known republicans such as Mike Huckabee and Billy Graham are well known Christians who also turn their values of faith into the public’s eye. During the 2012 election season Graham was quoted as saying, â€Å"I believe it is vitally important that we cast our ballots for candidates who base their decisions on biblical principles and support the nation of Israel. I urge you to vote for those who protect the sanctity of life and support the biblical definition of marriage between a man and a woman. Vote for biblical values this November 6, and pray with me that America will remain one nation under God. † Some would even say that Democrats do the best to live by biblical principles of taking care of the less fortunate among us who are already among the living. However it could be argued that Republicans take a better stance on the biblical principle of protecting the unborn. Jesus warns against those who aspire to political correctness. He says: †¢let them alone: they are blind leaders of the blind. (Matthew 15:14) †¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¦in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men. (Matthew 15:9) †¢Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into a pit? (Luke 6:39)(The Holy Bible) Even as far back as in Jesus time he himself laid out the foundation of politics and religion being one in the same. In church it is taught that going against what is the law such as speeding is considered sin and goes against the political laws which have been set forth in our society. Therefore religious people must abide by the political values set forth in our society. If you turn the table’s politicians must even be religious to a degree because they consider killing, stealing, etc. to be wrong and thus are religiously entwined to the Ten Commandments. In conclusion I say religion in politics has long been a taboo subject and elusive topic to most as they argue that they cannot cohesively coexist together when in all actuality they can and do coexist together. Religion and politics essentially belong together as they date back to even biblical times. However, all around the world the extent to which they coexist varies depending on the cultural influence as well as historical significance pertaining to their area. We have seen that I places such as Latvia, Egypt, and even Nigeria that religion and politics do go together however the extent of their union depends on their different cultural influences. Religion and politics even though we have been taught do not need to bring up as a singular subject and in fact they actually can be brought up together and should be because they are essentially a married union to one another. Whilst some critics will still argue that religion and politics are a disaster when they are meshed together their will always be people who disagree o the subject. Everyone will never be o the same page when it pertains to religion in politics or politics in religion.

Image Segmentation: Theories and Technology

Image Segmentation: Theories and Technology Theoretical Concepts and Technical Aspects on Image Segmentation Image segmentation is a very significant area in computer vision. Image segmentation, partitions an image into multiple regions based on certain similarity constraints. This acts as the pre-processing stage in several image analysis problems like image compression, image recognition etc. Segmentation is the vital part for the successful extraction of image features and classification. Image segmentation can be defined as the partition of an image into several regions or categories. These regions can be similar in any features like color, texture, intensity etc. Every pixel in an image is assigned to any one of the categorised region. Quality of segmentation is described as pixels in the same region are similar in some characteristics whereas pixels in different regions differ in the characteristics. The segmentation process includes restoration, enhancement, and representation of the image data in the required form. Image Segmentation Techniques Image segmentation techniques can be broadly classified based on certain characteristics. Basic classifications of image segmentation techniques include local and global image segmentation techniques. The segmentation method that is concerned with segmenting specific parts or region of image is known as local image segmentation. The segmentation method that is concerned with segmenting the whole image, consisting of very large number of pixels is known as global image segmentation. The next category of image segmentation method is based on the properties of the images to be segmented. It is categorised as discontinuity detection based approach and similarity detection based approach. In discontinuity detection based approach, the segmentation is based on discontinuities in the images like edge based segmentation and similarity detection based approach is based on similarity of regions like Threshold based, Region growing, Region Splitting and Merging etc. The segmentation technique which is based on the information of the structure of required portion of the image is known as structural segmentation. Most of the segmentation methods are stochastic type, where the segmentation is completely depended upon the discrete pixel values of the image. Threshold based segmentation method is the simplest method of segmentation. The image pixels are segmented based on the intensity level. This kind of segmentation is more applicable for images where the objects are lighter than the background. This method is based on prior knowledge of the image features. There are mainly three types of threshold based segmentation. Global Thresholding: This method is done using a proper threshold value. The threshold value will be constant for the whole image. Output of the image is based on this threshold value. Variable Thresholding: In this type of segmentation method the value of threshold can vary in a single image. Multiple Thresholding: In this kind of thresholding, the output of segmentation is based on multiple threshold values. Threshold values can be computed from image histograms. In [1], threshold based level set approach based on threshold based segmentation and fast marching method [2] for medical image segmentation is proposed. To im prove the image acquisition process in computer vision, threshold based segmentation method based on entropy criteria and genetic algorithm is mentioned in [3]. Edge based segmentation method is based on the sudden change of intensity values in an image. In image processing, object boundaries are represented using edge. Edge based segmentation works by identifying the region of abrupt intensity change in an image [4]. Mainly there are two types of edge based segmentation methods. Grey Histogram Technique: In this method the foreground is separated from the background based on a threshold value. Choosing the correct threshold value creates a problem. Gradient Based Method: Gradient can be defined as the first derivate of the image near the edge. Higher change in the intensity values between two regions is depicted by the high value of gradient magnitude. In order to perform multi scale image segmentation an edge based auto threshold generating method is introduced in [5]. Another method for edge detection using variance filter is introduced in [6]. Theory based segmentation method uses derivatives from several fields. Several types of this kind of algorithm includes, Clustering based segmentation: In this method clusters are formed based on the similarity criteria (size, color, texture etc). Methods include k-means clustering, fuzzy clustering, hard clustering etc [7]. Artificial Neural Network: In this method the neuron represents the pixels and segmentation is performed with the help of trained images. Methods using Wavelet Decomposition and Self Organization Map of artificial neural networks are proposed [8]. Region based segmentation [13] methods are similar to edge based segmentation. The advantage of region based segmentation upon edge based is that, the former is more immune to noise. In this method, the region of an image is either splitted or merged into areas based on similarity. Region Growing: the collection of pixels is grouped into a region with similar properties [9]. Region Splitting and Merging: Here the image is further subdivided into several regions based on some pre-defined criteria. Graph cut image segmentation is a very significant technique of segmentation under region based segmentation. Several techniques of region growing methods include techniques that combine edge and region based information using morphological watershed algorithms [10]. In this method, initially a noise filter along with magnitude gradient is used and pre segmentation is performed through region merging. A region similarity graph is then produced and final segmentation is performed using Multi Class Normalized Cut. This technique overpowers the Spectral clustering method. As the method mentioned is a time consuming task, new method is presented [11]. For the purpose of detecting objects sharply, least square method is used for region based segmentation. Here the local information is also considered by calculating the weight matrix. This segmentation technique is optimum and fast. Graph-cut Image Segmentation As mentioned in the above methods, the techniques either use the region information or use the boundary information [12]. This results in limited segmentation. In graph cut segmentation optimal result for energy function is computed and segmentation is based on that result. Basics of Graph-Cut An undirected graph, set of vertices and a set of edges, are considered. Vertex represents the pixels in an image and edges denote the connection between the adjacent pixels. There exists a source and sink node which holds the foreground and background respectively. In graph cut method, each edge is assigned with a non-negative weight which coins the term cost. [12] A graph cut is actually the partitioning of the edge set into several component sets. Graph cut method can be either min cut or max cut. Min cut can be defined as cut through minimum cost and max cut can be defined as the cut through maximum cost. That is after the cut performed, the vertices are divided into two sets, source and sink, which holds the foreground and background pixels respectively. Implementing graph cut method assigns value 1 to the pixels in the foreground and 0 to the pixels in the background. This is achieved through minimum graph cut method by minimizing the energy function. Types of Graph Cut Based Algorithm The graph cut based segmentation can be mainly divided into three types. They are Speed-up based graph cut, Interactive based graph cut and Shape prior based graph cut. The speed up based graph cut method is used to improve the speed of the graph cut method through parallel computing. Earlier implementation was based on CUDA code [14]. The best way to speed up the computational time is to reduce the number of graph nodes while reconstructing the graph [15] [16]. Another method used for speed up based graph cut method is clustering based graph cut. Clustering based graph cut is based on reducing the number of nodes by grouping similar pixels into a single cluster and treating a cluster as a node. Watershed based method is another important speed up based approach where, gradient images are considered and the concept of catchment basins are used [15]. Interactive based graph cut plays a very important role in segmentation of natural images and the situations where the segmentation requires high precision. In this kind of methods the seed points are selected and then segmentation is performed based on these points. Several methods are performed using the concept of bounding box, where the centre portion of the bounding box corresponds to the object and histogram is constructed. The area outside the bounding box is considered as the background region [17] [18]. Certain interactive segmentation is performed by choosing both the foreground and background region together. Iterative interactive graph cut segmentation is also performed. Shape prior based graph cut segmentation finds its importance where the image to be segmented is affected by noise, diffuse edge, obstructed objects etc. In this kind of segmentation, the shape information is included as the energy function [19] [20]. Case Study In this chapter a graph based image segmentation method is explained. The efficient graph based image segmentation method initially considers the input image as a graph. The pixel values are considered as the nodes of the graph and edge is drawn between the adjacent pixels. The edge weight is represented by the difference between adjacent pixels. Initially, the considered edge set is sorted in the increasing order of edge weight. The segmentation process actually segments the entire vertices set into disjoint sets based on some similarity function. The vertex set is initially randomly partitioned into several component sets. This is considered as the initial segmentation. The vertices producing the largest edge weight is considered first. Let the two vertices be v1 and v2. Then check whether these two vertices belong to disjoint component sets in the previous segmentation (initial segmentation). If the two vertices are in disjoint component sets then compare the edge weight connecting these vertices to the internal difference of these two component sets. If the weight of the edge connecting these vertices is smaller when compared to the internal difference, then these two components are merged. Otherwise, it is neglected. On continuing these steps till the smallest edge weight, a final segmentation of the input image is obtained. Expected Outcome In the proposed chapter, an exhaustive review on image segmentation such as threshold based, edge based, graph based and region based segmentation will be included. The various approaches employed for graph cut segmentation include interactive graph cut, efficient graph cut, shape based graph cut and speed up based graph cut. The chapter would conclude with results on a list of benchmark images. At the enclosure of the chapter, open research problems will be discussed.

High School Athletes Should Consider College Over the NBA Essay

In the last ten years many young and talented high school basketball players have chosen to enter the NBA draft. These 17 and 18 year olds decide to skip college, and instead they choose to take a big risk and enter the NBA, hoping to become stars and earn millions of dollars. In many cases, these youngsters’ careers are a failure because they don’t turn out as talented as they thought to be. They end up spending only a few seasons in the NBA because they are not good enough to compete at that level. Many of them have to move on to doing other things, such as playing basketball overseas, doing everyday jobs, or going back to college to earn a degree. This essay will help you understand why making the jump from high school to the NBA is not good in most cases, and it will show you the benefits, for these kids, of going to college. The Success Rate Reggie Harding was the first high school player to make the jump from high school to the NBA, and he did this in 1963. He spent five mediocre seasons in the NBA and was never the special player that people thought he would have been. Since then, there have been around 40 high school players who have decided to skip college and declare for the NBA draft. The bulk of these players have come within the last seven to ten years. Out of these forty or so players, no more than ten have had a successful career. Last year seven high school players entered the NBA draft, and only one of those seven had a successful first season, and that was Lebron James (Smith). Although many youngsters fail in the NBA, there are a few high school players who have had, or do have a successful career in the NBA. Some of these are, Moses Malone, Kobe Bryant, Tracey McGrady, and this year’s most valu... ...arnett won’t give up as teammates change. 23 March 2001. ESPN NBA Online. 1 May 2004. . Carter, Fred. Pros and cons of high schoolers going pro. 11April 2003. ESPN NBA Online. 1 May 2004. . Hodge, Bill. Swift is 10th prep star to enter 2004 NBA Draft. 6 May 2004. ESPN College Sports. 7 May 2004. . Lebron James Player Profile. NBA Media Ventures. 2004. 1 May 2004. . Smith, Sam. Hype over LeBron doesn’t match Alcindor’s. 22 July 2003. ESPN NBA. 7 May 2004. . Tim Duncan Player Profile. NBA Media Ventures. 2004. 1 May 2004. .

The Role of Minor Conspirators in Shakespeares Julius Caesar :: Julius Caesar Essays

The Role of Minor Conspirators in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar      Ã‚   In William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar the supporting role of the minor conspirators has a great impact on the major conspirators. Just as women often embolden powerful men of society, the minor conspirators embolden the major conspirators, greatly affecting the outcome of the play.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   One of the most important minor conspirators of the play is Decius, who was responsible for bringing Caesar to the capitol on the day of the assassination.   The entire conspiracy almost failed because on the night before the assassination was to be carried out, during the storm, Caesar's wife Calpurnia had a dream about Caesar being killed, and she had convinced him to remain home the next day.   When Decius arrived at Caesar's home in the morning to take him to the capitol he realized that he must convince Caesar that he had misinterpreted his wife's dream so Caesar would go as planned.   Decius needed to make Caesar realize that his wife, the soothsayer, and all of the omens were purely coincidental which he did by interpreting Calpurnia's dream with a double meaning, "Your statue spouting blood in many pipes, in which so many smiling Romans bathed, signifies that from you great Rome shall suck reviving blood, and that great men shall press for tinctures, stains, relics, and cognizance." (JC. II. ii. 85-90). Decius successfully executed his role in the conspiracy which led to the assassination of Caesar.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Another very influential minor conspirator was Cinna, who aided in persuading Brutus to join the conspiracy.   Getting Brutus involved in the conspiracy was crucial because of his close relationship with Caesar and his prominence with both the senators and the common people.   Cinna was assigned, by Cassius, the task of delivering a flattering letter to Brutus to which he   responded, "Well, I will hie, and so bestow theses papers as you bade me" (JC. I. iii. 150-151).   Cassius and the rest of the conspirators realized how beneficial Brutus would be to their conspiracy, so when Cinna played a large role in getting him involved, the plot was greatly influenced.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The third minor conspirator who significantly influenced the course of the play was Casca.   Casca was the first person that told the rest of

Comparing Colonialism and Imperialism in Heart of Darkness and Kipling

Imperialism in Heart of Darkness and Kipling's Poetry   Ã‚  Ã‚   Imperialism sprung from an altruistic and unselfish aim to "take up the white man's burden"1 and â€Å"wean [the] ignorant millions from their horrid ways.†2 These two citations are, of course, from Kipling’s â€Å"White Man’s Burden† and Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, respectively, and they splendidly encompass what British and European imperialism was about – at least seen from the late-nineteenth century point of view. This essay seeks to explore the comparisons and contrasts between Conrad’s and Kipling’s view of imperialism in, respectively, Heart of Darkness and â€Å"White Man’s Burden† and â€Å"Recessional.†      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In a historical context, the two texts differ greatly: Heart of Darkness is Conrad’s autobiographical description of his trip up the river of Congo and his encounter with the atrocities of European rule in Africa.3 Conversely, Kipling’s â€Å"White Man’s Burden† was written to welcome the United States of America to the club of imperialistic nations. The event that prompted Kipling to write this poem was the United States’ intervention in the Philippines. Under the Treaty of Paris in 1898, the Philippine sovereignty was transferred from Spain to the United States and thus the United States emerged as an imperialistic nation dedicated to progress. This is the core of the matter – progress. Kipling speaks of ‘a Law’ in his poem â€Å"Recessional.† The code of behaviour and the enlightenment that Kipling wished to be aggrandised to all ‘primitive’ nations. In other words: Progress in the mean s of railroads across continents, telegraph lines over deep seas, commerce beyond boundaries and steam boat lines criss-crossing the earth.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Imperialism was at its height... ...55,1978) * Conrad, Joseph. â€Å"Heart of Darkness† in The Norton Anthology of English Literature, M.H. Abrams, general editor.   (London: W.W. Norton, 1962, 2000) * Islam, Shamsul. Kipling’s Law: A Study of His Philosophy of Life (London: The MacMillan Press Ltd., 1975) * McClure, John A. â€Å"The Rhetoric of Restraint in Heart of Darkness† in Nineteenth Century Fiction, Volume 32, Issue 3 (Dec. 1977), pp. 310-26 – available through www.jstor.org * Raskin, Jonah. The Mythology of Imperialism (New York: Random House, 1971) * Rudyard Kipling’s Verse, ‘Definitive Edition’ (London: Hudder & Stoughton, 1940) * Watts, Cedric. â€Å"‘A Bloody Racist’: About Achebe’s View of Conrad† in Joseph Conrad; Critical Assessments, Keith Carabine, ed., Volume II: ‘The Critical Response: Almayer’s Folly to The Mirror of the Sea’ (Mountfield: Helm Information Ltd., 1992)

Noughts and Crosses essay Essay

How does Malorie Blackman create a vivid picture of the bomb and its aftermath in this passage? A shocked atmosphere concludes this chapter with a bombing of Dundale shopping centre in the book noughts and crosses, Malorie Blackman makes the aftermath and bombing of the Dundale shopping centre very vivid for the reader by using very interesting and useful word and phases. Firstly, Malorie Blackman uses many ominous hints and foreshadowing to create a vivid picture of what was about to happen in chapter forty -nine. â€Å"A tense, watchful atmosphere entered the room like a chilling fog†. This creates pathetic fallacy this shows that they are all on edge with one another and that they can’t be natural it is as if their emotions have been chilled and this suggests something bad is going to happen. The writer uses similes such as â€Å"blown off my feet into the air like a dry leaf in high wind â€Å"this is an effective techniques because it tells the reader that the explosion struck so hard that Persephone Hadley seemed to literally fly in the air and the words â€Å"dry† give the reader the feel of how hot it may be that she becomes this â€Å"dry†. This gives the explosion the power to â€Å"throw† her away because of the impact using personification .The phrase â€Å"fraction of a second† tells the reader that it happened so fast that she was unable to even stop or control her actions and she was just being thrown in the air like a toy . â€Å"Billowing smoke shot out of the shopping centre†. This makes the smoke come alive, like it has moved and shaped its way .The way that smoke â€Å"shot† out gives it a lot of energy and this creates movement into the picture. The adjective â€Å"billowing† may also give it energy and make the smoke grow, so therefore personification is used to enhance the picture of smoke coming out of the shopping centre. Another example would be â€Å"intense heat† the effect of this on the reader will make them feel just how big the blast was on sephy’s back and how close it was to her even though she was a certain distance away to the blast. Blackman also uses onomatopoeia to create an image of the bomb in our minds. Some examples in this passage include; â€Å"boom â€Å"and â€Å"popped†. These words make the passage descriptive and it give attention to what’s going on; these make the picture in our mind more detailed and concise. Overall, Malorie Blackman uses many techniques such as similes, adverbs, Verbs, adjectives and onomatopoeia to create on accurate image of the bomb scene in our minds, to engage us the audience in the novel and make us a part of the novel.

How an Individual’s Health Affects the Entire Family’s Function?

How an individual's health affects the entire family's function and how does the family's ability to function affects each individual member's health? Using Family System theory, this paper investigates the mutual impacts that the family and the individual have on each other, and the importance of family nursing for providing clinical support to both the family and individual within the context of crisis. Examples would be provided to illustrate just how impacts are felt and how these are mediated through family functioning. The thesis in this paper is that family functioning has an important impact on the health of individual members, as the individual depends on the family for support and protection from the larger social unit, the society; on the other hand, individual health can put enormous strain on the functioning of the family, primarily through relationships. Family Functioning on Individual Member's Health In order to appreciate the impact that family functioning has on the health of its individual members, one must recognize the family as not only a collection of individuals whose physical proximity exposes its members to infections and environmental contaminants, but an economic unit that provides material and emotional support to its members within the larger social context (Ross, Mirowsky, ; Goldsteen, 1990). While health and sickness takes place within the family, two of the important questions asked are the ways in which family functioning has an impact on generating and on altering the health of its individual members. An understanding of the functioning of the family involves looking at the causal chains, the conditional effects and structural amplifications. While the impacts of the family on the individual could vary in correlation, there are conditions within the family that increase, decrease, or even reverse, the correlation. It is therefore the combination of causal chains and conditional effects that combine to erode certain barriers that help reduce the impact of the society on individual wellbeing (Ross et al., 1990, p. 1061). Individual physical and emotional wellbeing are therefore impacted by the structural aspects of the family, which include marriage, parenthood, wife's employment and the family's social and economic status (Ross et al., 1990, p. 1061). Family functioning is said to have an impact on individual health and this is seen in the family performing a protective barrier in mental health diseases and being shown as having an important role in â€Å"pathogenesis, treatment, and recovery† of the individuals, particularly with patients with mood, anxiety, substance abuse disorders and attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (Garcia-Huidobro, Puschel ; Soto, 2012, p. e198). In the case where the individual family members suffers from biomedical illness such as diabetes, hypertension, asthma, obesity, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, the family is seen as more involved in the outcome of the disease for the ill family member. However, research has shown that family functioning style has an effect on the health of family members, and that poor family functioning has a cumulative effect and contributes to poor health on the part of family members (Garcia-Huidobro et al., 2012, p. e198). Where there are relational problems in families, individual family members were found to be more likely to experience psychiatric and behavioural conditions. Where the family is under stress, individual family members are likely to experience conditions related to the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (Garcia-Huidobro et al., 2012, p. e202). In their study, these authors defined family functioning as covering â€Å"family agreement, cohesion, family support, problem-solving strategies, commitment, internal resources, and strengths† (Garcia-Huidobro et al., 2012, p. e202). It was when there was breakdown in at least some of these areas that health of individual family members were shown to be affected. This, family functioning was seen to be responsible or causative of certain individual health conditions. In the case of vision loss, the family is seen as playing a very important role in helping the individual to adjust to this loss. The reason for this is that family members are generally the ones that live with the individual family member that is afflicted, know the nature and history of his or her condition, have observed how the family member copes and has coped with the low vision and related life stressors, accompany the afflicted family member to appointments and examinations, and serve as communicators with health professionals (Bambara, Wadley, Owsley, Marin, Porter ; Dreer, 2009, p. 138). The degree to which the family is functioning well, to that degree will the family help the family member to cope with his or her situation. The amount of support that the family provides to this family member with this chronic condition depends on the severity of the vision loss, the impact of that loss on the individual's daily living and ability to be independent, the number and nature of comorbid conditions that the individual has, living arrangements, financial resources and the individual's access to services and resources, all play a part in reveling how the family impacts the individual's health. The degree to which the family is able to support the individual family member during this difficult period is the degree to which the individual family member is able to cope with his or her loss of vision (Bambara et al., 2009. P. 139). Smith, Greenberg and Mallick Seltzer (2007) also shows how family functioning could have an impact on chronic diseases in individual members. According these researchers, siblings are affected to the degree that they have a relationship with the sibling that is chronically ill, and with the amount of help that they contribute to help in caring for the sibling. Therefore, if family functioning is such that the siblings have strong relationships, this is likely to help the sibling with the chronic condition has better health outcomes (Smith et al., 2007). In their research, Rosland, Heisler, and Piette (2012) pointed out that according to previous studies â€Å"family autonomy, support, overprotectiveness, and good communication (were) . . . influential to patient illness management† (p. 221). As family members came together to emphasis self-reliance and personal achievement, as they cooperated and became more cohesive as a unit, and as they provided greater attention to the family member that was chronically ill, the chronically ill patient showed much better improvement (Rosland et al., 2012, p. 228). It was also noted that positive marital and family function predicted better control of the chronic illness and better outcome and survival for the chronically ill patient (Rosland et al., 2012, p.,. 228). Individual Health on Family Functioning When a family member is ill, this has the impact of disrupting the family functioning, as family members are often required to make adjustments to their daily lives. This is particularly the case when a family member develops a chronic disease, for not only must family members make changes to the family's routine, but in many instances roles, responsibilities and boundaries change (Lawrence, 2012). Individual chronic illness also affects the family in terms of the self-image and self-esteem of family members, but chronic illness could also affect the emotional lives of family members by triggering â€Å"anxiety, depression, resentments, feelings of helplessness, as well as ill-ness related factors such as illness-related factors such as permanent changes in physical appearance and bodily functioning† (Lawrence, 2012, p. 21). When a family member is ill, there are spillover effects on the family as family members experience emotional, non-health, and somatic effects (Wittenberg, Saada, ; Prosser, 2013). While emotional effects were thought of as psychological spillover, the non-health effects come about as family members have to re-arrange their daily activities and facilitation of caregiving, with parents experiencing the greatest spillover effects when children are ill, while children had the fewest spillover effects when parents were ill (Wittenberg et al., 2013). Some of the effects of an individual's illness on the family were seen in family members experiencing caregiver burden and increased mortality; however, in some instances the impact of the individual's illness had positive effects in those caring for the ill individual, including sense of altruism and purpose (Wittenberg et al., 2013). These researchers noted in their research that it was not only the caregivers within the family that were affected by the individual's illness, as other family members. For example, children who were not involved in the caregiving of their ill parents were shown to be affected. However, the interdependence between the ill individual and other members of the family influenced the manner in which the family was affected. The spillover effects of the ill individual on to the family varied. Spouses showed a wide range of effects across domains, because of the interdependence, but also because of responsibility shifting and having to cope with the direct effects of the illness (Wittenberg et al., 2013, p. 8). Not only are spouses often the primary provider for the ill individual, but they often feel enormous stress in coping and may feel trapped in trying to recognize the dependence and autonomy of the patient, while still trying to cope with their own needs (Lawrence, 2012, p. 21). Spouses may also experience feelings of powerlessness in not being able to help with their spouses' pain, and the pressure of being strong when in effect they are feeling emotionally drained (Lawrence, 2012, p. 21). Parents of ill children showed the lest spillover effects, possibly because they knew generally about the condition of their children, and their expectation of the outcome helped to improve spillover effects (Wittenberg et al., 2013, p. 8). When a child has a chronic illness, this has an impact on the family as a whole, but also on the relationships within the family (Alderfer, Riese, Gold, Cutuli, Holmbeck et al., 2008, p. 1046). At the same time, it must be recognized that the functioning of the family has an impact on the child's health, for with conflict within the family, the outcome of treatment such as bringing down the HbA1c level for an adolescent with Type 1 diabetes could be negatively impacted (Alderfer et al., 2008, p. 1046). Assessment and reduction in family conflict may be important in such an intervention to control the adolescent's HbA1c level (Alderfer et al., 2008, p. 1046). Parents of children with chronic illnesses also experience negative impact on their relationship, as one parent may need to spend more time with the ill child and so less time with the spouse. Some of the effects of this on family function, according to Lawrence (2012) include â€Å"communication problems, higher divorce rates, increased relationship conflict, increased role strain, and decreased relationship satisfaction† (p. 21). In short, quality of life of family members is also affected when a family member has a chronic disease for while there may be physical effects and psychological distress, there could also be social problems (Golics, Khurshid, Basra, Salek, ; Finlay, 2013, p. 787). In the case of parents of children with chronic illnesses, where the chronic condition is in dermatological diseases, parents may experience worry, frustration and stress, whereas in the case of chronic conditions involving physical and mental disabilities, parents may experience social problems. But there could be serious emotional impacts on family members, for as pointed out, research has shown that â€Å"family members of patients can be more emotionally affected by illness than patients themselves† (Golics et al., 2013, p. 787). In fact, in their study these researchers showed that family members demonstrated that the impact included not only worry, frustration and anger, but also of guilt (Golics et al., 2013, p. 790). Negative impacts of individual chronic health on family functioning include change in daily activities, deterioration in family relationships, loss of sleep and negative impact on health, lack of support from friends and family support,, increased involvement in providing care, disruption in studies, negative financial impact, decreased social life, and inability to make firm plans (Golics et al., 2009, 790 – 794). However, these researchers pointed out that in their study, they had one positive effect of the individual's chronic health on the family, and that led to â€Å"the family improving as a result of the patient's illness., with members of the family pulling together to support each other† (Golics et al., 2009, p. 794). In the case of adult children and their elderly parents, acknowledgement that their parent's life span was shorter also led to fewer spillover effects (Wittenberg et al., 2013). Results of this study revealed that the illness of a family member had vast effects on the family, affecting the overall functioning of the family, and having physical and emotional and spillover effects on family members (Wittenberg et al., 2013). In chronic conditions, it is likely that emphasis on quality of care for elderly patients could be a means of providing positive impacts on family functioning. End of life care usually involves an understanding between elderly parents and their children. In a study involving elderly parents and their adult children, a common understanding was that trust in treating physician, avoidance of unwanted life support, effective communication nd continuity of care and life completion were facts that both groups found important (Heyland, Dodek, Rocker, Groll, Gafni et al., 2006, p. 1, 6).Other family members are affected in different ways by the chronic health condition of an individual family members. As noted, family functioning is affected, as family members have to go through stages to adjust to the chronic illness of their individual family member. Some of the adjustments that have to be made in the case of family members of the individual family member with low vision are â€Å"shock-denial, mourning-withdrawal, succumbing-depression. Reassessment-reaffirmation, coping-mobilization, and self-acceptance-self-esteem† (Bambara et al., 2009, p. 138). Basically, what is involved here is that the family goes through a period of adjustment, starting off with possibly shock and denial, and moving through various phases to the point where they have to accept that conditions have changed and that they have to make changes to their lives. In this case of low vision, changes could involve helping the family member purchase equipment that is not covered by insurance, helping in dealing with loss of wages, and covering economic deals (Bambara, 2009, p. 138).Implications for Nursing These findings reveal that clinical nursing also has an important role in providing psychosocial support for patients and families. Recognizing the impact of chronic disease on the family member and family, nursing therapy could be important in providing the emotional support needed for family members and for better functioning of the family as a whole. A study into the impact of Huntington's disease on families and spouses reveal the need for effective family therapy around easing marital conflict as well as parents' fears and anxieties over transmission of disease to children (Smolina, 2007, p. 14). Children's perception of the disease is also influenced by the behaviour of parents and so â€Å"family dynamics, taboos, expectations, loaded issues and the general attitude toward the disease† are all factors that require therapy (Smolina, 2007, p. 10). Clinical nursing therapy can ensure that perceptions related to end of life are shared by elderly patients and their adult children in end of life care discussions, as seen as important in earlier study (Heyland et al., 2006). Conclusion Chronic disease of a family member can have physical, social, and emotional impact on the other family members, and to have mostly negative effects on family functioning, as conflict, breakdown in relationships, stress and its related effects, depression, anxiety, guilt, and more could result. Although there have been some positive effects observed, namely, altruism and purpose, these are often dwarfed in terms of the negative effects. However, in turn, individuals with chronic conditions are influenced by their family functions, with poor functioning resulting in deterioration of their health or leading to the onset of some of these conditions. Using the dynamics of family theory, clinical nursing therapy could provide much needed support.

How It Feels to Be Colored Me †Arguement Essay

In â€Å"How it Feels To Be Colored Me†, Zora Neale Hurston presents her attitude about racism while growing up as an African American. Hurston’s views are very similar to Dr. Martin Luther King jr.’s. When talking about racism, she uses her heritage to help present her attitude. Her feelings toward the white folk aren’t hostile, but they aren’t exactly agreeing either. Hurston’s views are like those of Dr. Martin Luther King jr.’s. Both of them acknowledge that they are different than everyone else around them. They are an individual. They don’t agree that they should fit in and be the normal, African American. Both overcome hard times and discrimination and had successful parts of their careers. Hurston uses her heritage to discuss her views on racism. She grew up in a town full of blacks, so she was basically the same as her neighbor. She says she never felt colored until her family moved to Jacksonville. Then, she was constantly reminded how she was the descendant of slaves. She tells about how she was always so alone. She also discusses how she escapes the prejudiceness and gets away by going to listen to music, though; some white folks come in and make conversations with them. She speaks about her feelings towards the white folks. Hurston talks about how â€Å"among a thousand white persons, I am a dark rock†, she feels as though she is different, and she sticks out. She speaks about how she is her, she has no race. Though, she also doesn’t understand how someone could be so prejudiced against someone’s skin color. She makes a point of how they get along Hurston presents her views in a very understandable way. She speaks about how she feels about the white folk. She uses her heritage to help her deal with racism. Her views are almost the same as Dr. King’s. I feel the same way Ms. Hurston does about Racism..

In the earth, the earth thou shalt be laid and answer the following questions

(a) What different arguments are presented through the poems two voices? (b) How do the poems language and structure contribute to its meaning? (c) Write about another of Brontà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½'s poems that has a death or a farewell as its subject matter, making some comparisons with the poem above. (a) In this poem â€Å"In the earth, the earth thou shalt be laid †¦Ã¢â‚¬  two adverse voices dispute the nature of death. The first warns of the grim finality and isolation of death. The second voice welcomes death as the bringer of peace after a life of troubles, and opposes the argument of oblivion with the prospect of posthumous kind remembrance. The first voice returns in the last two stanzas insisting that death brings complete annihilation and observes that the first speaker will be mourned by only one faithful individual. In the very first stanza, the first voice presents the second with the image of his grave: the laying of his body, the tombstone and the enfolding soil. The first voice talks of death as very final. It talks about the revoltingness of decomposition; warning of death's defiling bed: â€Å"Black mould beneath thee spread And black mould to cover thee†. The second voice welcomes the prospect of death. In stanza two, the second voice interrupts, creating a more sanguine tone. The voice seems to resign of death in â€Å"Well, there is rest there†, and the welcoming of death is expressed in the second line. The images this voice uses are by no means morbid. The second voice makes the argument that life is not restful and death is a time of great tranquillity and peace. It suggests death is a time when you and the environment come together as one. The twining of â€Å"sunny hair† with â€Å"grass-roots† suggests the intricate weaving of one life-from with another. The burial of fair hair takes down an implication of sunlight into the underlying darkness. The first voice returns in stanza three. This voice objects that â€Å"the rest† which the second voice looks forward to is only the chill rest of nothingness: â€Å"But cold, cold is that resting place Shut out from Joy and Liberty† There is no happiness of freedom in the oblivion and enclosure of the tomb. The first voice talks of the cold of the grave and that it is a place without any happiness or pleasure. It then counters the more positive attitude towards death of the second voice by expressing the fear and revulsion felt by the living towards the decaying of dead bodies and, therefore, the dead themselves: â€Å"And all who loved thy living face Shall shrink from its gloom and thee† The second's voice gives an emphatic rejection to the first's ideas. It suggests that, far from cold being the characteristic of death, it characterises the falsehood of the world and human relationships: â€Å"Not so, here the world is chill And sworn friends fall from me† This voice is very bitter about rejection. However, the rhythm the tone then lightens: â€Å"But there, they'll own me still And prize my memory† In death, he will be remembered and his worth recognised. He believes that his old friends from life will think of him fondly even if they were indifferent to him when alive. The first voice concludes the poems in the last two stanzas. In stanza five he seems almost contemptuous: â€Å"Farewell, then, all that love All that deep sympathy:† It is almost as if the first voice is dismissing the second as dead already. The nothingness of death is affirmed in a declaration of the indifference of heaven to human fate that is matched only by the indifference of the living: â€Å"Sleep on, heaven laughs above – Earth never misses thee -† In the final stanza the voice returns to the image of the grave with which the poem began, observing that the tomb irrevocably severs human relations. The last two lines are ambiguous, but seem to imply that there is, however, one person who mourns, one who was always faithful: â€Å"One heat broke, only† In conclusion, the two voices propose two completely different arguments into the nature of death. The first voice thinks of the physicality of being dead, and sees it as a time of cold and revulsion. The second voice thinks more of the state of being dead, perceiving death as a release from the troubles of life and enjoys the thought of people looking back fondly on his memory. (b) This poem, â€Å"In the earth, the earth† structure and language contribute a lot to the meaning of the poem. The six quatrains of this elegy are based on an iambic trimester and tetrameter, but with at least one substitution in most of the lines. In particular, the frequent substitution of a spondee in the first foot of each line helps to create the stately solemn tone that suits the subject. In the first stanza, the first voice presents the second with the image of his grace: the laying of the body, the tombstone and the enfolding soil. Key words in this image are emphasised by means of repetition, alliteration and word order. Thus the repetition of â€Å"the earth† in the first half of line 1 contributes to the setting of the melancholy, fatalistic tone. Alliteration in line 2 in â€Å"stone standing† builds on this. The repetition of â€Å"black mould† in lines 3 and 4 has a similar effect, but here the mould not only refers to the soil, but to the decay of the human body itself within the earth. â€Å"Black† likewise refers not only to the colour of the soul, but traditionally, in such a context, signifies death and mourning. But the whole elegiac effect is largely achieved by the word order that creates the heavily spondaic rhythm. In stanza 2, the second voice shows resignation in the â€Å"Well, there is rest there†, and the welcoming of death expressed in the second line. Moreover, in contrast with the image of death in the first stanza of â€Å"black earth† the image in lines 3 and 4 is by no means morbid; the â€Å"sunny hair† recalls life which is nurtured by sun, and the grass-roots refer to the means of life in the soil. Thus the whole curious effect is the image of weaving them together of two forms of life. The rhythm is highly irregular, for example with the substitution of two dactyls. Again this is an important factor in achieving the different tone of the second voice. The only spondee in this stanza falls appropriately on â€Å"grass roots†. The first voice returns in stanza three. The repetition of â€Å"But cold, cold† echoes the opening of stanza 1 (â€Å"In the earth, the earth†), and recaptures the contrasting tone. The voice objects that â€Å"the rest† which the second voice looks forward to is only the chill rest of nothingness: â€Å"But cold, cold is that resting place Shut out from Joy and Liberty† There is no happiness or freedom in the oblivion and enclosure of the tomb. It then counters the more positive attitude towards death of the second voice by expressing the fear and revulsion left by the living towards the evidence of decay (the grave, â€Å"that resting place†) and by extension towards the dead themselves: â€Å"And all who loved thy living face Shall shrink from its gloom and thee† Alliteration in â€Å"all†, â€Å"loved†, â€Å"living† and â€Å"Shall shrink† lend fluency to these lines, whose rhythm is more regular than the second stanza, thus giving this voice a more matter-of-fact tone and saving it from melodrama. In stanza four, the second voice's emphatic rejection of the first is signalled by the opening negative â€Å"Not so†, and by the italicised antithesis of â€Å"here† and â€Å"there† around which the stanza is built. The voice suggests that far from cold being the characteristic of death, it characterises the falsehood of the world and human relationships: â€Å"Nor so, here the world is chill And sworn friends fall from me† Assonance and alliteration (â€Å"friends fall from†) bind these lines and assist the emphasis. The rhythm also greatly contributes to this. The second foot of line 1 is a trochee, giving the italicised â€Å"here† appropriate stress. In line 2 three consecutive stressed syllables (â€Å"sworn friends fall†) reinforce the bitterness of the reflection. But in the contrasting lines 3 and 4 the rhythm lightens into regular iambs: â€Å"But there they'll own me still And prize my memory† The italicised â€Å"there† falls naturally on the stressed syllable of a regular iambic tetrameter. In death, he will be remembered and his worth recognised. The first voice concludes the poem in these final two stanzas. Again the characteristic of the voice is repetition. In stanza 5 the tone appears almost contemptuous: â€Å"Farewell, then, all that love All that deep sympathy:† It is almost as if the first voice dismisses the second as dead already. The nothingness of death is affirmed in a declaration of the indifference of heaven to human fate that is matched only by the indifference of the living: â€Å"Sleep on, heaven laughs above – Earth never misses thee -† In the final stanza the voice returns to the image of the grave with which the poem began, observing that the tomb irrevocably severs human relations. The last two lines are ambiguous, but seem to imply that there is, however, one person who mourns, one who was always faithful. Repetition and italicisation (â€Å"One heart†¦That Heart†) and the spondees falling at the beginning of lines give the ending of the poem a heightened dramatic tone. (c) Another of Brontà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½'s poems that has a death or a farewell as the subject matter is â€Å"Remembrance†. Like â€Å"In the earth, the earth† this poem is an elegy: the speaker in the poem reflects on the loss of the beloved. It consists of eight quatrains, whereas â€Å"In the earth† has only six, but like the above poem it is rhymed abab. This poem is written in the first person. There is only one voice in this poem. The poet appears to be contemplating the cold and isolated grave of her beloved and look back over the fifteen years since his death. The idea of the grave as â€Å"cold† and lonely reflects the ideas of the first voice in â€Å"In the earth†. The poet asks the lovers forgiveness for having forgotten him â€Å"While the world's tide is bearing me along†. But preoccupation with worldly matters has never distorted her love of him; she has loved none other. This sentiment of one person who faithfully mourns after death reflects the poem â€Å"In the earth† in the lines: â€Å"On heart broke only, there That heart was worthy thee! -† The poet then goes on to say how after a period of utter despair she deliberately turned away from grieving for him, learning to continue her existence even while recognising that she had no hope of future happiness. In the last stanza she acknowledges the fragility of her efforts at stoical acceptance. She dare not let her thoughts dwell upon him for fear that life would thereafter be unendurable. Like the first voice of the poem discussed earlier, this poem has a very slow rhythm and an intensely sorrowful tone. Also like the other poem, repetition of key words such as â€Å"far†, â€Å"cold† and â€Å"severed† enforce their points. The imagery of snow and distant, wild landscapes conveys a bleak, chill atmosphere. Brontà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ also uses assonance in both poems, here on the different ‘o' sounds in stanza two, building the atmosphere of sorrowful retrospection: â€Å"Now, when alone, do my thoughts no longer hover Over the mountains on that northern shore †¦Ã¢â‚¬  Another similar effect Brontà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ uses in both poems in repeating the opening of the poem. In â€Å"In the Earth†, she uses repetition to reflect the opening and also returns to imagery of the cold, isolated grave. In this poem, the first half of stanza three repeats the actual opening of the poem â€Å"Cold in the earth†. Ironically, this echoes the two uses of repetition used in the earlier poem: â€Å"In the earth, the earth† and â€Å"But cold, cold†. Also, this poem talks about two completely different feelings towards the death of her lover, just as the two voices in â€Å"In the earth† compare two completely different views towards death itself.