Poems by Blake and Wordsworth Essay

Two aspects of London as shown through a response to poems by Blake and Wordsworth. When comparing Blake and Wordsworth’s pieces, the respective perspectives of the authors should never be far from our thoughts. Whereas Blake lived in London his whole life and seldom ventured outside its borders, Wordsworth was a rural person whose only experiences of London came from short visits. Unaccustomed to the hustle and bustle of City life, Wordsworth led a comparatively relaxed existence which perhaps accounts for his romantic and gentile style. We should not be surprised to see that Blake, a frequenter of the less-desirable districts of the capital, offers a far more cynical portrayal of London. Blake’s poem is a social commentary which points an ugly finger at the industrialist pioneers and the flaws of Industrial society. Blake was a renowned radical of the era with far-reaching ideas. He uses many literary devices to impart his opinions upon his audience. This is superbly demonstrated when he writes: â€Å"I wander through each chartered street† The reference is a metaphorical reflection on Blake’s perception that anything and everything is for sale in an industrial society and, in particular, in its impoverished areas. Repetition is clearly employed when the piece claims: â€Å"In every cry of every man, In every infant’s cry of fear, In every voice, in every ban, The mind-forged manacles I hear† The repetition could be equated with anything from the machinery at work in the factories and mills, to an assault of stabbing pain upon those suffering in poverty. Within the framework which Blake creates, the reader is left to determine his own idea of what the repetition may represent, and this is at the centre of the verse’s success. Irony is employed with great effect in the verse beginning â€Å"How the chimney-sweeper’s cry†. The author contrasts the poverty and ill-health of chimney-sweeps with the wealth of the church, and suggests that instead of helping the poor the church pays them a pittance to work in hazardous conditions. Irony often stands side by side with black humour, and both are well-demonstrated in this verse. The amusing of the reader with a subject which should not amuse serves to further draw them into the piece. In the latter part of the same verse, emotive comparisons are made between the plight of London’s less-fortunate and warfare. Blake’s use of the word ‘soldiers’ is no accident here; for soldiers are tools of war, and must have opponents. This leads the reader to ask: with whom are the ‘soldiers’ at war? As Marx foretold and the French Revolution demonstrated, the working classes and those controlling the means of production operate with opposing aims. Blake brings a new element of severity to the situation by suggesting that forces are at work against the poor subjects. INSERT LAST VERSE DISCUSSION HERE Wordsworth is blissfully unaware of the scenes which Blake paints. Indeed, Wordsworth’s London is so far removed from Blake’s that one is led to ask whether the two are writing of the same city at all. There is a significant period of time between the two which could arguably account for this; Wordsworth’s work being written before the Industrial Revolution and Blake’ at its height.

Chemistry and Chemical Reactivity Essay

The Kinetic Molecular Theory of Gases (KMT) is an explanation and description of the motion and behavior of molecules. It looks into the kinematics of molecules, wherein focus on the forces exists between molecules and the energy generated by the motion of these molecules (Poseidon Software and Invention, 1997). Etymologically, the KMT comes from â€Å"kinetic† which means moving, and â€Å"molecular† which comes from the root word molecule, classically the smallest unit of particle. The KMT includes several postulates which describe how the molecules of gases behave. The following are characteristics of how gas molecules behave: (1) Gases are composed of very small particles called molecules; (2) the molecules are very large in number; (3) they are perfectly spherical in shape and elastic in nature; (4) their volume is negligible which implies that they can move freely (Dogra, 1984); (4) the average distance between molecules is relatively large as compared to their size (Kotz, et al. , 2008); (5) they behave in a state of constant, random motion following Newton’s Laws (Selvaratnam, 1998); (6) they move in a straight line until they â€Å"collide with another [particle or with] the walls of the container† (Whitley, 2005, n. p. ). (7) the collisions of the gas molecules with other particles or with the walls of the container are perfectly elastic such that the total kinetic energy after the collision is equal to the total kinetic energy before the collision; (8) there are no attractive or repulsive forces between the molecules, and only during collisions do the particles exert forces on each other (Wulfsberg, 2000); (9) there is no energy lost during the collisions; energy is conserved; and (10) the average kinetic energy of the particles depends on the temperature of the system. These postulates can be further illustrated in terms of the interpretation of the temperature and pressure of a gas. Temperature, being a macroscopic characteristic of matter, is â€Å"interpreted in terms of the kinetic energy of the molecules† (Selvaratnam, 1998, p. 183). There is a directly proportional relationship between the temperature and the kinetic energy of the molecules of a gas. This means that an increase in temperature causes a similar increase in the kinetic energy or rapid movement of the molecules. â€Å"The hotter the gas is, the faster its particles move† (Whitley, 2005, n. p. ). Pressure, on the other hand, is â€Å"due to the incessant bombardment of the walls of the container vessel by the billions and billions of molecules present† (Selvaratnam, 1998, p. 183). This only means that if more collisions occur, the pressure is higher. The individual gas laws could be put into perspective in relation to the KMT. According to Boyle’s Law, â€Å"at constant number of moles and temperature, pressure and volume are inversely proportional† (Whitley, 2005, n. p. ). Charle’s Law, on the other hand, states that â€Å"at constant number of moles and pressure, the volume and the temperature are directly proportional† (Whitley, 2005, n. p. ). A third Gas Law consists of the theory that â€Å"at constant number of moles and pressure, the volume and the temperature are directly proportional† (Whitley, 2005, n. p. ). These individual gas laws, if combined, would produce an â€Å"ideal† gas. In relation to the motion of the molecules, the molecular activities in the three states of matter differ in several aspects. In the solid state, the particles are packed in a more closely manner. They are held closely to one another by their attractive forces (Poseidon Software and Invention, 1997). These strong, attractive forces between the particles cause them not to move freely and instead, vibrate. This feature results in a definite shape and volume of solids. In the liquid state, the intermolecular forces only permit the particles to flow or glide over one another. As compared to solid, the motion of the molecules is more random. The shape and volume of a liquid is dependent on its container. The intermolecular forces are also essential in understanding the dissolution of things. In the dissolving process, the molecules of the solute are surrounded by the molecules of the solvent. Here, â€Å"molecular bonds between molecules of solute have to be broken and molecular bonds of the solvent also have to be disrupted† (Educating Online, 2007, n. p. ). References Blauch, D. N. (2001). Kinetic Molecular Theory. Retrieved March 6, 2009 from http://www. chm. davidson. edu/chemistryapplets/kineticmoleculartheory/BasicConcepts. html. Dogra, S. (1984). Physical Chemistry through Problems. India: New Age International. Educating Online. (2007). Solubility of things. Retrieved March 6, 2009 fromhttp://www. solubilityofthings. com/basics/why_things_dissolve. php Kotz, J. C. , Treichel, P. & Weaver. (2008). Chemistry and Chemical Reactivity. U. S. : Cengage Learning EMEA Poseidon Software and Invention. (1997, November 16). Kinetic Molecular Theory. Retrieved March 6, 2009 from http://www.psinvention. com/kinetic. htm. Selvaratnam, M. (1998). A Guided Approach to Learning Chemistry. South Africa: Juta and Company Limited. The Kinetic Molecular Theory. (2009). Bodner Research Web. Retrieved March 6, 2009 from http://chemed. chem. purdue. edu/genchem/topicreview/bp/ch4/kinetic4. html. Whitley, K. (2005, May 13). Kinetic Molecular Theory of Gases. Retrieved March 6, 2009 from http://www. chemprofessor. com/kmt. htm. Wulfsberg, G. (2000). Inorganic Chemistry. U. S. :University Science Books.

Ebay - Business report Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Ebay - Business report - Research Paper Example With the varying market conditions and the preferences of the customers, the business of eBay developed significantly in recent times. This can be acceptable with reference to the fact that the company reported a profit of $4.4 billion in the year 2014, which was beyond its expectation (BBC, 2014). From the perspective of providing an e-business background of eBay, it must be mentioned that the company utilises a service of online payment named PayPal, which facilitates and eases in making transactions on behalf of the sellers as well as the buyers (Bensinger, 2012). Prior to conducting a detailed e-marketing study on eBay, it is essential to obtain a brief idea about the external setting of the company. With this concern, the theoretical structure of Porter’s five forces is taken into concern for analysing the external situation of the company. From the analysis, it is evident that eBay faces a moderate level of threat relating to the entrance of new market players in the industry, as there persists lower levels of entry requirement. Apart from this, the buyers’ and suppliers’ bargaining power are deemed to be high and moderate respectively owing to the reason that different e-commerce companies offer parallel products and/or services as that of eBay and the suppliers remain much eager to sell by making effective use of well-established online sites. Finally, eBay faces low level of threat of alternatives or substitutes, as the company offers certain attractive features to the potential customers that entail auctions and bu yer protection among others. Apart from the above discussed aspects, the company also faces high level of threat from the existing business market competition in the similar industry due to the presence of already existing companies like Alibaba and Amazon among others (Hao, 2013). E-marketing analysis of eBay clearly

Compensation, Rewards, and Incentives Research Paper

Compensation, Rewards, and Incentives - Research Paper Example The various compensation, rewards and incentives programs designed By IBM have facilitated the organization to draw quality and skilled workforce and maintain workplace satisfaction of the existing employees. Furthermore, the monetary and non-monetary incentive programs practiced by IBM have facilitated the organization to prevent competent and quality employees from leaving the organization along with motivating them to perform dedicatedly in the workplace. The benefit programs have enabled the organization to foster and deliver enhanced employee development. Furthermore, the benefit programs of IBM have facilitated the organization to profitably respond to the rapidly altering market and industry trends. The benefit programs have also facilitated IBM to maintain skilled and agile workforce within the organization. The increased level of employee satisfaction within the organization has enabled IBM to quickly and effectively meet the supply and demand scenario as well as positively manage and develop costs and other revenue generation prospects associated with its performance (Boudreau, 2010). These factors have had a deep-rooted impact on IBM’s attainment of being on the ‘Best Places to Work For’

Does Fast Food Advertising Have an Influence on What Parents Feed Research Paper

Does Fast Food Advertising Have an Influence on What Parents Feed Their Children - Research Paper Example Parents usually do not bother too much to critically analyse or investigate such claims. Fast food items are normally tastier than conventional foods and hence majority of the children like it. Parents usually feed their children based on the tastes of the children. When a child shows interests in a fast food item, his/her mother or father may not think too much about its ingredients. He/she will purchase that item in order to make the child pleasant. Majority of the current parents have some kind of professional and personal commitments. As a result of that they are not getting enough time to think about the nutritional aspects while feeding their children. Fast food advertisements further encourage or motivate them while purchasing food items for their children. Effects Of Fast Food Advertising On Parents Fast food companies make use of plenty of advertising strategies to catch the attention of parents. For example, price promotions can increase consumer preference for a particular product. Moreover, it may increase repeated purchases, and contribute to parents’ beliefs that the promoted item is highly nutritional and frequently eaten (Hoek and Gendall, 2006; Naylor et al. 2006). It should be noted that price promotions always help the companies to catch the attention of the public. When sales decrease, companies often forced to reduce the prices of their products. When prices come down, consumers usually show more interest in a particular product. For example, KFC food items are popular everywhere in the world. However, high prices of KFC products prevent parents from purchasing it for their children, especially in a recession hit global economic climate. Imagine a situation in which KFC announces reduction... This paper stresses that advertisements in general and Fast food advertisements in particular have positive influence upon parents and children. Even though some of the modern parents are aware of the traps made by advertisements, majority of the parents are unaware of it. Majority of the parents believe that fast food is better than conventional foods. This is because of the influence of advertisement related to fast food. Advertisers are capable of constructing ads to promote their products. Such ads will always describe the positives of the product while deliberately hiding its negative aspects. Ethics and social responsibility are rapidly diminishing subjects in the corporate world. This report makes a conclusion that marketers, especially the fast food marketers are particular about profit making. They use all advertising channels cleverly to catch the attention of the consumers. Misleading and exaggerated advertisements are often constructed and displayed by the fast food advertisers. Neither the parents nor the children think too much about the traps in such advertisements. For them, fast food is cheap, convenient and tastier than conventional food. For parents, the burden of preparing food in the kitchen is eliminated by fast foods. Advertisers are exploiting this parental attitude cleverly with the help of targeted ads. In short, fast food advertisements definitely have positive influence upon parents and children.

Observers of Life Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4250 words

Observers of Life - Essay Example . There is an element of darkness in every person’s heart. Heart of darkness illustrates how Marlow conquers the darkness in his heart and attains self knowledge; but the darkness with in him consumes Kurtz who falls prey to its wrath. The oblique narrative structure of Heart of Darkness serves to pull the reader to the depth of the novel. Further more, its interwoven style suits well to unfold history, myth, and legend with a special focus being laid on the characters. The story flows with a steady onward rush that brings several characters along with it and the loose ends laid on the way are linked seamlessly in the progress, rendering soundness to the logical precision. The unavoidable presence of the primary narrator is a matter of great interest as he introduces the main character Marlow and the scenic description in the initial part of his voice. Like chorus in drama, this non-descript character surfaces in the novel when clarity is needed and facilitates smooth flow by supplying supporting passages on Marlow. Interestingly enough, the storyline is narrated from the point view of the main character, Marlow. Thus the writer is double distanced from the novel eluding his subjectivity The protagonist, Marlow looms large in the novel as he is the main character as well as the narrator of the story .While Marlow meanders down the memory lane, the readers are offered a panoramic view of an exotic landscape, lush with the entangling greenery, contrasted against the lurched lives of the natives; manipulated and exploited by the interference of the English men. Marlow stands out from the rest of the characters with his unique wisdom, analytical qualities, and judgments on every situation. The primary narrator presents Marlow as sitting cross-legged, resembling an idol with his straight back and stretched hands and attributes to him a sense of ascetic charisma. Soon the counter of a meditating Buddha begins to take

Competitive Profiles Matrix of Walmart Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Competitive Profiles Matrix of Walmart - Essay Example However Kmart has emerged as the main competitor to the Retailer (Houston, 2006). Company Strengths Compared to Kmart, Wall Mart operates in more countries and this gives it a larger market space that results to high sales turnover. While Wall Mart is based in 14 countries, Kmart is only based in 5 countries. Shopping in Wal -Mart is convenient, Wal -Mart stores are equipped with almost everything a customer would be searching for under one roof, a customer has the liberty and privilege to shop for everything from one point and during any time of the day. The numbers of products offered by Wal Mart are more varied compared to Kmart’s, this gives it a differential advantage, keeps Wal-Mart ahead of it. Wal -Mart goods are low, this is attained because the Retailer has entered into huge contracts with suppliers like MacDonald’s and Disney enabling it to get substantial discount, more over it buys products in mass attracting quantity discounts. Having a cost advantage over Kmart and other firms in the same industry gives it a higher ranking. This aspect enables families to save on money, some of the items that are sold at a cheaper price compared to other supermarkets are; sugar, fruit, vegetable and soda.

Post project appraisal of Woody 2000 (project of The Custom Assignment

Post project appraisal of Woody 2000 (project of The Custom Woodworking Company) - Assignment Example Professional project management and control techniques were not used during execution and close-out. The project encountered time and cost overruns, and project cash flows were not financed efficiently. The Custom Woodworking Company launched project Woody 2000 in the spring of 1989. The project encountered several problems in conception and execution with substantial cost and time overrun. After the completion of the project, an external project management consultant was hired to conduct post project appraisal. A typical project include three phases, viz., Initial, Intermediate, and Final. The first phase involves conceptualization and planning, while the intermediate phase constitutes execution and monitoring, and the final phase includes project close out. The cost and staffing is lower at the initial phase of the project. During this period, the level of uncertainty is the highest and the risks of failing to achieve the objectives are the greatest. The certainty of completion progressively gets better as the project continues. The ability of the stakeholders to influence the project is highest at the initial phase and gets lower towards the final phase. The contribution of the project to the strategic goals of the company was never objectively quantified. ... 2. Woody project failures The major problems identified during the audit are detailed below. Conception & scope: The contribution of the project to the strategic goals of the company was never objectively quantified. Gate reviews were not conducted and the cost estimation and risk mitigation efforts were half-baked. The cost estimation for the project was done during a single meeting without considering any supplier quotes and probably without involvement of estimation professionals. Risk analysis was not done, and no contingencies were added at this stage. The project scope was not defined objectively, and seemed to have been influenced by personal bias; there was no reason to include office renovation within the scope of this production capacity enhancement project. Planning & control: The contingency was developed after the project was authorized, and was done without any formal assessment of risk. The monthly cash flow was done on an ad-hoc basis without the involvement of the project manager. The cash flow was developed without reckoning the project schedule and the actual spending pattern. Without this vital information, there was no way Spencer could have actually mobilized the necessary funding for this project. This cash flow was never used for the purpose of monitoring and controlling. There was no project plan to address the key issues, and no Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) or project schedule was prepared. In absence of a baseline plan it became impossible to monitor the project progress. There was no cost control process in place; without use of proper cost performance index, it was impossible to predict to cost overrun. Contracting strategy: Spencer decided on a cost plus basis for contracting the work.

Sherlock Holmes Essay Example for Free

Sherlock Holmes Essay The use of clues and red herrings this way creates a sense of atmosphere and suspense which appeals to the modern day reader because it is what most modern day stories include and as this was written in the Victorian era it is still giving the reader the sense of uneasiness; for example, In The Speckled Band, the gypsies are red herrings because Conan Doyle writes about them in a way as to suggest they are to blame for the crime however this only makes the reader build up false accusations against them and they become oblivious to the real criminal. The use of language is very interesting in Conan Doyles stories because there are many variations compared to the language we use today. For example in the speckled band Holmes asks Helen Stoner to take a seat but instead of using the phrase have a seat which we would use in todays modern language, he says to Miss Stoner pray take a seat which is a polite way of asking the same thing of someone. In the late 19th and early 20th Centuries women were not treated with an equal amount of respect as men and so by Holmes addressing Miss Stoner in that way, it is an example of how he is unique and does not think less of women. The modern reader may struggle to understand some of the meanings of the phrases used because they have slightly different meanings to us now. For example, Holmes addresses Watson and says, I beg you will not disturb me, using I beg in todays society would have a different meaning altogether as it would seem as though you desperately want something. Also, the language tells us a lot about Victorian society, in the past people were addressed according to their class and this was determined from where you lived. The suspect in The Speckled Band is Dr. Grimsby Roylott; he commits the crime of murder because he wants to ensure he gains full entitlement to a large sum of money. Conan Doyle uses very powerful imagery to create the character of Dr. Roylott such as, He was a huge man.. face.. marked with every evil passion and also He strode out of the room. These two quotes are a few examples of the language the author uses to build up the readers accusations against Roylott and also to show how he placed himself above others and to show his importance. In the Red Headed League, the main suspect is John Clay; he works hard only for half-pay. This is similar to The Speckled Band because both crimes are money related. From the techniques Doyle uses, the reader is meant to think that Roylott and Clay are the villains but then he also uses other techniques to make the reader doubt their suspicion. This makes the story ending much more unexpected. The writer uses suspicion by making the suspects act in mysterious and different ways to everyone else. From the behavior of the suspects, you find out that back in Victorian Society many crimes were based on money and the belief that it was very important; this is a very big similarity between the two periods of time because in todays society the majority of crimes are still money related. The victim in The Red Headed League is Jabez Wilson; he is a shop owner who is being deceived by his employee, John Clay. He believes that John is doing photography down in the cellar, however he is digging a tunnel to the Bank. The victim in The Speckled Band is Helen Stoner; she comes home after questioning the mysterious death of her twin sister. The writer uses techniques to make the victims seem helpless in comparison to Holmes, such as making them seem desperate for his help as though they are incapable without him, which in effect emphasizes his great skills and capability at solving crimes. Also, Helen Stoner is made to seem weaker than Jabez which shows how women were given less opportunities than men and that men were thought to be more powerful and important. A motive is a reason for something and all suspects must have a motive in order to commit a crime. The motive for both The Speckled Band and The Red Headed League is money. In The Red Headed League, John Clay attempts to steal from the Bank of London and in The Speckled Band; Dr. Roylott attempts to stop his daughter from marrying in order to inherit money that they would be entitled from the will of a past relative. Holmes motive for solving crimes is for the excitement in each individual case not for actually solving the crime itself. He says to Watson that he suffers from ennuie meaning that he finds everyday life boring. The motives show how important money was in Victorian Society; the main reason for this is because it determines your class. All Sherlock Holmes stories have strong morals; these are serious messages that teach the reader something. Both The Speckled Band and The Red Headed League have the same moral and that is that money isnt everything. Money can get people into a lot of trouble, in these cases murder and robbery. This is important for Victorian readers because money is very much related to their lives and people were very discriminate about class back in those times; these morals can be seen as a warning to them. These morals would appeal to a modern reader because it is still valid for todays society. It is a way of distinguishing right from wrong and showing how crime results in punishment and that justice will be done. The morals dont seem harsh to me, I think they are fair. It is a strong message; however I think they can be interpreted differently in both the Victorian society and todays society. Back in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries money often determined peoples class which could affect their lifestyles however; many crimes are committed in order to gain money for different reasons. The key parts of the stories that I feel appeal to me, as a modern day reader, are the processes leading up to the crime being solved and the frequent use of red herrings. Also, the Short Stories of Sherlock Holmes would appeal to modern readers because they are of a detective genre which still relates to todays society. I would recommend these stories because they are very well written and are also educational and informative about Victorian Society. I preferred The Speckled Band because it had the most unexpected ending due to having so many red herrings in. I think that that makes the story more exciting and interesting to read. Adriana Romano 10N Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Arthur Conan Doyle section.

Stages of Conflict Management Essay Example for Free

Stages of Conflict Management Essay In the contemporary workplace, communication plays an important role in an efficient administration since it encourages co-operation, knowledge sharing, and a feeling of a sense of a common purpose. Nonetheless, communication brings increasing interpersonal relationships, an unwanted and, in most cases, unmanaged side effects, which are referred to as conflicts. Managing conflict focuses on maintaining conflict at the right level in order to assist the organizational departments, teams or groups working together to reach their goals. Managing conflict does not imply completely eradicating conflict or conflict reduction (Miller, 2011). The fundamental process of conflict management is the selection of the aspired levels of conflicts. These aspired levels of conflicts vary widely and depend on the perceived conflict requirements by the managers of various personnel (Miller, 2011). The stages of conflict management include diagnosis of the problem, problem statement, knowing both parties perceptions or viewpoints/understanding, mediation, brainstorming of alternative solutions, and identification of (an) agreed on solution(s) (Rout Omiko, 2007). These stages of conflict management are briefly described below. Diagnosis of the Problem In this stage of conflict management, the mediator listens to both parties who are involved in conflict with the intention of understanding and determining the existence of a genuine conflict, and not just an imagined one (Rout Omiko, 2007). Problem Statement After recognizing that actually the problem really exists, the mediator now attempts to represent the problem to both parties involved in a non-defensive and direct manner. In other words, in this stage the mediator ensures that parties involved in the conflict actually understand the problem. Besides, the second stage is meant to ensure that the mediator evaluates and sees the level of understanding of both parties in regard to the presence of the conflict, and the level of motivation to engage in conflict resolution (Rout Omiko, 2007). Knowing both Parties Perceptions or Viewpoints/understanding This stage is where the mediator attempts to find what the parties involved think in regard to the problem at hand. The mediators should go through this stage carefully so as not to depict any slightest form of favoritism. This involve attempting to understand the problem from various perspectives of those parties, and the mediator should probe to find out what the parties think as the cause of the problem, noting similarities and differences of viewpoints of the problem (Pammer, 2003). Mediation Mediation requires the mediator to remain impartial by keeping the discussion revolve around facts and issue-oriented rather than discussing personalities and maintaining a balance in the discussion so that one party does not dominate the discussion (Rout Omiko, 2007). Brainstorming of Alternative Solutions This stage involves generating of alternative solutions to the problem at hand after it is obvious that there are no more alternative solutions, the mediator should now engage both parties in a discussion of these possible solutions with the aim of getting of selecting the best solution (Zartman, 2008). In this discussion, the mediators should control the session so that none of the parties forces the other on agreeing with their own suggested solution(s). Efforts should be made to ensure that both parties reach a consensus and then follow this with the implementation of the agreed solution (Rout Omiko, 2007). Identification of an agreed on solution(s) This is the final stage of conflict management, and its main purpose is to determine the agreed on solutions, a plan of action, as well as follow-up steps in order to ensure that both parties are actively involved in the implementation process (Rout Omiko, 2007).?

Nick Leeson’s strategy to earn trading profits on derivatives?

Nick Leeson’s strategy to earn trading profits on derivatives? Originally, trader Nick Leeson was supposed to be exploiting low-risk arbitrage opportunities that would leverage price differences in similar equity derivatives on the Singapore Money Exchange (SIMEX) and the Osaka Exchange. In fact, he made up a strategy to earn trading profits on derivatives where he would have to take much riskier positions by buying and selling different amounts of the contracts on the two exchanges or buying and selling contracts of different types. Leeson was speculating wildly and completely without authorization, in massive amounts on movements in the Japanese stock and bond markets. Leesons trading activities mainly involved three futures markets: Futures on the Japanese Nikkei 225 stock index, futures on 10-year Japanese Government bonds (JGB futures) and European futures. Leeson executed a trading strategy known as a straddle, with the objective of making a profit by selling put and call options on the same underlying financial instrument, in this case, the Nikkei 225 Index. Most of his trading was a bet on the volatility of the Tokyo stock and bond markets. In his futures positions, he was betting that the Tokyo stock market would rise and the bond market would fall. He was long Nikkei 225 futures, short Japanese government bond futures, and short both put and call options on the Nikkei Index. He was betting that the Nikkei index would rise, but he was wrong; instead it fell, causing him to lose $1.39 billion. A straddle will generally produce positive earnings when markets are stable but can result in large losses if markets are volatile. He planned his strategy taking into consideration the Japanese futures market as in Japan the margin is posted on a net basis for all costumers and if there are customers who are in short position, firm can take long position without any need to pay the call margin. He utilized this opportunity through his bogus error account 88888 and companies account 99002. What went wrong that caused his strategy to fail? Leesons strategy failed because he was taking into consideration that the market had experienced an extended bull run throughout the late 1980s and after that, it had fallen to half of its 1989 high. He thought that it had fallen enough and from now it would only go up, and he continued to bet that it would rise; but the Nikkei 225 index only kept falling. Leeson further increased the size of his open positions even as his losses increased due to volatility in the markets. He did nothing to hedge his position to lay off his potential losses if the markets did move the wrong way. In effect, Leeson was accepting unlimited liability. The second thing that was that he was relying on the bank interest rate; that it would decrease but eventually the exact opposite happened and the interest rate increased to a high. He thought if that the interest rates were low at the moment and if they were going to rise they would hurt him as more of the investors would move towards safe earning through the high interest rate returns, making the investment into market to reduce and hence to make himself on the safer side he invested into government bonds futures. Nick Leesons doubling strategy failed because he increased the size of his open positions even as his losses increased due to volatility in the markets and kept doubling his contracts whilst the Nikkei 225 continue to plummet following an earthquake in Japan. However, Leesons unauthorized trading positions suffered huge losses, and his operation unraveled. Moreover, interest rates did not rise as he expected which lead to further losses incurred on the Japanese government bond futures. He left the behind with huge liabilities totaling $1.4 billion, leading to the bankruptcy to the one of the oldest bank in Britain. Why did Nick Leeson establish a bogus error account (88888) when a legitimate account (99002) already existed? Nick Leeson established a bogus error account (88888) even when a legitimate account (99002) already existed, in order to conceal his unauthorized trading activities. Initially he claimed that he opened the error account (88888) to conceal a single loss of 20,000 pounds sterling that had resulted from an accounting error until he could make up the difference through trading. However, he continued booking various losses into the error account (88888) as a holding area for any premiums or losses that he made and also continued to increase his volume of trading and level of risk taking. It was a loophole he exploited to set up bogus accounts for non-existent clients to mask mounting debts. While the legitimate error account was known to Barings Securities in London, the bogus account was not. However, the bogus account was known to SIMEX as a customer account, not as an error account. In this way, Leeson could hide his balances and losses from London but not Singapore. One the other hand, SIMEX thought the bogus error account, 88888, was a legitimate customer account rather than a proprietary Barings account. The account enabled Leeson to take advantage of the rules of Japanese Futures market at that time. In Japan margin was posted on net basis for all customers. Therefore if many customers were short index futures, the firm could take long position without having to post cash margins. Why did Barings and its auditors not discover that the error account was used by Leeson for unauthorized trading? The reason why Barings and its auditors did not discover Leesons unauthorized trading and fraudulent activities was mostly a lack of internal checks and balances, and because Leeson was hiding in Barings organized chaos. Leeson was also given power due to his knowledge and there was no inquiry done into his trading just because he reported a profit to the company. Barings was impressed by Leesons achievements which lead them not to disclose to SIMEX that he infact had been disqualified from taking the UK traders exam (Broady, Roland, Woods, 2008). According to Ron Baker, the Head of Financial Products Group for Barings, There were no clearly laid down reporting lines with regard to Leeson, and in actual fact, there were several people responsible for keeping an eye on Leesons performance, but each one of them assumed that the other was watching closer than them, thus allowing Leeson several holes to get through. An internal auditor audited the Singapore office of Barings in 1994 and he reported that unauthorized trading could have happened because of the fundamental principle of the industry segregation of front and back office activities. The results were disclosed to the directors as well as some of the auditors recommendations, but the directors did not implement these recommendations (Collier Agyei-Ampomah, 2006). Moreover, Leesons actions could have been avoided if the Barings executives had done a comprehensive review of Leesons funding requirements, as well as set restrictions to what Leeson could or could not do. However, he also discovered that none of these changes to the internal structure had been implemented when the bank collapsed. One of the main reasons why Leeson was able to get away with so much was that there was no clear segregation of duties (Broady, Roland, Woods, 2008). The nature of the Japanese futures market at the time did not require exchanges to have a separation between the customer and the proprietary funds, which made it difficult to separate the funds and the position of the firm or customer. Leeson was left to be in control of everything that should have been checked by a superior or manager of some other department, which enabled him to track and modify the contents of his rogue account as he wished and keep his activities from being disclosed. Although the Director of BFS and the Finance Director of BSS, Simon Jones, pledged to the public that he would attend to the issue of segregation, he never actually took any action to separate Leesons front and back office doings. The Bank of England made a report on the matter and according to the report, the London senior management actually considered Jones to be an inadequate communicator, and were concerned with the fact that he was not as involved as he should have been in the affairs of BFS. Furthermore, the Bank of London also criticized the process of Leesons funding. Firstly, credit checks should have been performed on the large amounts of funds changing hands, but this was not performed either. Secondly, Bank of London discovered that there was no clear record of whether the funds reported were needed for its clients, or for its own accounts. This made reconciliation virtually impossible. The trading account was also not shown on any files or statements transmitted from Singapore to London, and thus auditors could not find any existence of the error account. Moreover, SIMEX categorized the 88888 account as a customer account rather than an error account. Internally, Barings had raised issues about having proper reconciliation in 1992. The risk manager of Londons branch, Gordon Bowser, had strongly recommended a development of a solid reconciliation process. However, Bowser left two others (Simon Jones and Tony Dickel) who had internal conflict over Leeson, to decide on the matter of reconciliation procedures, there was no solid arrangement between the two and Leeson was left to create the procedures for himself, allowing him to dictate the way he managed things. The loss of reconciliation meant that auditors could not trace the nature of these funds and thus they were unable to uncover the error account that Leeson used for his tradings. Over the years, there were several cases of internal conflict which was beneficial to Leesons stealthy activities. A particular example of this was in 1995, where SIMEX became apprehensive about the ability of Barings to meet its large margins in Leesons error account. SIMEX addressed a letter to Simon Jones, with the letter noting that a further $100 million should have been in account 88888. Instead of addressing the matter himself directly, Jones passed the letter to Leeson for Leeson to draft a response on his own. Lastly, when Leesons activities were finally being caught on by SIMEX, but they had not managed to find out exactly what was happening, SIMEX posted another letter to the Singapore branch, expressing doubts about Barings ability to fun margin calls. The letter was then referred back to London and from there; SIMEX was assured that opposite positions were being held in Japan. However, the truth was no opposite positions were being held and SIMEX officials made no follow-up checks with Osakas Stock Exchange to authenticate the claims. Why did none of the regulatory authorities in Singapore, Japan, and the United Kingdom not discover the true use of the error account? None of the regulatory bodies of Singapore, Japan on the UK discovered the true use of Leesons error account because firstly, it was visible to them only as a customer account, and SIMEX had also granted an exemption on the number of contracts that Barings could hold with the presumption that Barings was hedging and not speculating. This is in fact due to Barings conservative firm reputation, which lulled exchange and clearing houses into a false sense of security. Additionally, Barings speculative position was hidden with the use of an omnibus account and with this account, the brokers customers identities could successfully be hidden from the exchange and clearing houses. A number of happenings in the UK also allowed Leeson to hide and manage his activities easier. At that time, the Bank of England had a rule known as the Large Exposure Rule which stated that a bank is unable to lend more than 25% of its capital to any single entity. Barings made a request to Bank of London for an exception and argued that one exchange should not be classified as one entity. The supervisor in charge of Barings activities recognized the argument and the request and promised to review it and in the meantime, he offered Barings an informal concession for Japan, which Barings extended to Singapore and Hong Kong. On the matter of the Large Exposure Rule, the supervisor failed to respond until one whole year later, and his answer was that there were no exceptions to be made and the positions taken under the informal concession should be unwound. By that time, the damage had already been done. The Bank of England also found that following the consolidation of Baring Securities Ltd and Baring Brothers and Co., it allowed the two to be categorized as one entity for capital adequacy and large exposure purposes, but the process of this consolidation was too informal and the results of it played a part in Leesons unauthorized activities. This not only meant that Leeson could hide his activities, but also the fact that he had access to a much larger pool of capital. Why was Barings Bank willing to transfer large cash sums to Barings Futures Singapore? Barings Bank believed that the large cash sums transferred to Barings Futures Singapore was for loans to customers as portrayed on the Barings Futures Singapore balance sheet. The key aspect of Japanese Future market was that exchange did not require a separation between customer and propriety funds. Therefore it was impossible to distinguish between the firms and the customers position. Why did the attempt by the Bank of England to organize a bailout for Barings fail? Throughout that weekend, the Bank of England hosted meetings in London to try to form a consortium to bail out Barings. The attempt by the Bank of England to organize a bailout for Barings failed because no one would assume the contingent risk of additional, but as yet undiscovered losses. Bank of London made a huge effort to organize a bailout for Barings bank. The bailout failed because Barings bank reached the position where losses amounted more than double the capitalization of the bank;, estimated losses approached $1.1 billion. Further losses were inevitable and thus there was no one ready to assume the contingent risk of additional but yet undiscovered losses. The bank was trapped in such a situation that the amount of future losses was unknown and unrevealed due to the unauthorized dealing by Nick Leeson. Suggest regulatory and management reforms that might prevent a future debacle of the type that bankrupted Barings. There have been numerous cases of collapses and overwhelming losses to companies in the corporate and banking sector and this called for some serious reformation, with particular attention to derivatives. The entire sector did not sit up and take notice until the Baring Brothers bankruptcy. How could an entity steeped with trust and history fall apart with no signs? Following the bankruptcy, reports were created by the Bank of England, SIMEX, and the Group of Thirty to suggest ways in which regulators and legislators could increase monitoring of financial activities. After the collapse of Barings Bank, an article was published with the name of Global Institutions, National Supervision and Systemic Risk, and this article underlines the reforms and changes in the financial sector that have already been implemented. The reforms that have already been implemented included: the expanded usage of netting and collateral; enhancements in methods to measure risk; greater off-balance-sheet risk disclosure; extensive increases in major financial institutions equity capital, financial sector consolidation; and encouragement of growth of securitization. The Bank of Englands report detailed how the losses occurred, the reason the losses were unnoticed in and out of Barings, and the lessons learnt from the bankruptcy. The following are the five lessons the Bank of England identified (Ambit ERisk, 2010): Management teams have a duty to understand fully the business that they manage; Responsibility for each business activity has to be clearly established and communicated; Clear segregation of duties is fundamental to any effective control system; Relevant internal controls, including independent risk management, have to be established for all business activities; Top management and the Audit Committee have to ensure that significant weaknesses, identified to them by internal audit or otherwise, are resolved quickly. The list that Bank of England came up with seemed simple, but the truth was one (or usually several) points listed were often the reason why corporations lost large amounts of money in the derivatives market. Other ways in which to prevent future debacles like the Barings collapse would be an increase in supervision of employees. Leeson never had a trading license prior to his arrival to Singapore and there was scarce monitoring of his activities since no one person was directly responsible for supervising his trading activities (Burnett, 2006). Also, a clear reporting line should be enforced because Leesons fraud could have been facilitated by confusion in having two reporting lines: one to London for proprietary trading and the other to Tokyo for customer trading. Top management should also be aware of the business that they are dealing with. In the case of Barings Bank, Leeson was reporting huge profits to the company but top management should have known that arbitraging is a relatively low risk and low profit business (Collier Agyei-Ampomah, 2006), so how on earth could Leeson have been reporting such massive profits? Top management could have identified these flaws immediately if they had known and had they done their job properly (Narayanaswamy, 2008). It is thus very important for top management to have sufficient knowledge of the field (or be involved in) to understand the complexities of business and its fundamental concepts. Based in Washington DC, the Group of Thirty began to be particularly apprehensive of the risks that derivatives posed. The Group has issued numerous periodicals to address these problems, mainly publications like International Insolvencies in the Financial Sector, Discussion Draft, which outlined fourteen ideas to reduce risk in the financial sector, particularly with derivatives. Another publication titled International Insolvencies in the Financial Sector, Summary of Comments from Respondent Countries on Discussion Draft, which showed member countries responses and opinions regarding the proposed changes to financial institutions. It was noted that the support for these changes were generally strong among all the countries that responded, which showed how Barings failure rocked the entire worlds confidences in the financial sector.

Dont Talk To Cops :: essays research papers

Don't Talk to Cops "GOOD MORNING! My name is investigator Holmes. Do you mind answering a few simple questions?" If you open your door one day and are greeted with those words, STOP AND THINK! Whether it is the local police or the FBI at your door, you have certain legal rights of which you ought to be aware before you proceed any further. In the first place, when law enforcement authorities come to see you, there are no "simple questions". Unless they are investigating a traffic accident, you can be sure that they want information about somebody. And that somebody may be you! Rule number one to remember when confronted by the authorities is that there is no law requiring you to talk with the police, the FBI, or the representative of any other investigative agency. Even the simplest questions may be loaded and the seemingly harmless bits of information which you volunteer may later become vital links in a chain of circumstantial evidence against you or a friend. DO NOT INVITE THE INVESTIGATOR INTO YOUR HOME! Such an invitation not only gives him the opportunity to look around for clues to your lifestyle, friends, reading material, etc., but also tends to prolong the conversation. The longer the conversation, the more chance there is for a skill investigator to find out what he wants to know. Many times a police officer will ask you to accompany him to the police station to answer a few questions. In that case, simply thank him for the invitation and indicate that you are not disposed to accept it at this time. Often the authorities simply want to photograph a person for identification purposes, a procedure which is easily accomplished by placing him in a private room with a two-way mirror at the station, asking him a few innocent questions, and then releasing him. If the investigator becomes angry at your failure to cooperate and threatens you with arrest, stand firm. He cannot legally place you under arrest or enter your home without a warrent signed by a judge. If he indicates that he has such a warrent, ask to see it. A person under arrest, or located on premises to be searched, generally must be shown a warrent if he requests it and must be given to chance to read it. Without a warrent, an officer depends solely upon your helpfulness to obtain the information he wants. So, unless you are quite sure of yourself, don't be helpful. Probably the wisest approach to take to a persistant investigator is

Adversity :: Free Essay Writer

" A man of character finds a special attractiveness in difficulty, since it is only by coming to grips with difficulty that he can realize his potentialities." -Charles DeGaulle This quote couldn't more true , even at the age of seventeen my life has been riddled with adversity. Everything from major health related problems from birth to my father being injured at work and finally my cousin dying from cancer , all have made me realize truly the strength that I possess to carry on. I have overcome and am continuing to overcome many health related issues all of which stem from birth. At birth my esophagus did not attach to my stomach and in order to correct this problem I had to undergo a major operation. This operation resulted in me needing a blood transfusion. Unfortunately in 1983 blood donors were not screened for diseases. I was one of many who contracted both hepatitis B and C. Hepatitis B was just jaundice and showed it self soon after the operation. Fortunately Hepatitis C is dormant for now , although it is thought around the age of thirty the true disease takes hold. There is always that daunting reality that eventually I will need a new liver. Another result of my stay in the hospital is my droopy eye caused by an incorrectly inserted IV. In this age of physical beauty and especially being a teenager it has been especially hard for me to not feel that I am inferior to everyone else. As a result of lack of funds my eye will have to wait to be correcte d. My father who has been out of work for three years because of a back injury that has left him in a tremendous amount of pain constantly. This has resulted in not only a financial strain on our family but also a burden of ache that tugs at me. I love my father dearly and it pains me to see him suffering. My parents are divorced and have been for some time, my father lives in California and before his injury I would visit at least two times a year for extended periods of time . Now that he is out of a job for all practical purposes my time with him has been cut to only a summer visit. This has also proved to be quite a emotional hardship , but as with everything else I have forced myself to accept it and to move on.

Historical Inaccuracies in the Movie Braveheart

The movie Barveheart in 1995, which was starred, produced and directed by Academy Award winner Mel Gibson, depicted (or tried to depict) the life of Scottish hero and patriot Sir William Wallace. The film gained worldwide recoginition, has won five Academy Awards including best picture and best director, and was nominated for another five. It also sparked the interest of many in Scottish history. The film, however, was also criticized about its historical inaccuracies.Indeed, according to historian Elizabeth Ewan, the film â€Å"almost totally sacrifices historical accuracy for epic adventure. † Sharon Krossa pointed out that in the film, â€Å"the events aren't accurate, the dates aren't accurate, the characters aren't accurate, the names aren't accurate, the clothes aren't accurate—in short, just about nothing is accurate. † Without proper information and understanding of the actual events in Scotland during the time of William Wallace's exploits, one would thi nk that the presentation in the movie is how it really happened during that time.Not much is really known about the life of William Wallace that even the date of his birth is a subject of debate among historians. And much of what is known is based on a fifteenth century poem by aperson known as the Minstrel or Blind Harry. It is the purpose of this paper to present historical facts during the time of William Wallace in contrast to those that were presented in the film. During the beginning of the film, there appears a text stating: â€Å"SCOTLAND 1280 A. D. †, followed by a narration: â€Å"I shall tell you of William Wallace.Historians from England will say I am a liar, but history is written by those who have hanged heroes. The king of Scotland had died without a son, and the king of England, a cruel pagan known as Edward the Longshanks, claimed the throne of Scotland for himself. Scotland's nobles fought him and fough each other over the crown. So Longshanks invited them to talks of truce—no weapons, one page only. Among the farmers of that shire was Malcolm Wallace, a commoner with his own lands. He had two sons—John and William†¦Ã¢â‚¬  This very statement would already have made the film far from fact. As Krossa points out, â€Å"it is the historians from Scotland, far more than from England, who will recognize the errors of the narrator/film. † There is no doubt that the â€Å"king of Scotland† mentioned was King Alexander III. But not only was the â€Å"king of Scotland† not dead in 1280, both of his sons were alive and well, and had an heir to the throne that had outlived him for four years. King Alexander III fell from his horse and broke his neck causing his death .True enough that all of his children—two sons and a daughter—were already dead during that time, but it didn't happen until 1986, six years from the film's 1280. The death of Alexander brought Scotland in a political crisis but its nobles acknowledged Margaret, Alexander's three-year-old Norwegian granddaughter—the product of his daughter's maariage to the King of Norway—and his only direct descendant, as inheritor of the kingdom. They appointed a Committee of Guardians â€Å"to govern in the name of the young queen.† However, the two leading claimants of the kingship after Margaret, Robert Bruce of Annandale and John Baliol of Galloway, together with other nobles, apparently refused to â€Å"submit to a female sovereign, especially if she was a child,† and the country was soon â€Å"distracted by the intrigues and conspiracies of the competitors for the crown† . The guardians of England appealed to Edward I, then King of England, to intervene. King Eric II of Norway, the father of Margaret, also asked Edward I's aid to vindicate his daughter's rights.They agreed to marry Margaret, the Maid of Norway, to Edward I's son, the then Prince of Wales, with the view of uniting the crowns of England and Scotland. In 1290, Margaret embarked for Scotland to marry the Prince of Wales but fell sick during the voyage and died at Orkneys at a tender age of merely eight years. This renewed the disputes between claimants. In 1291, Edward I met the nobles of Scotland, apparently to act as arbitrator, but demanded the Scots to recognize his overlordship. This must have been the basis of the film's â€Å"talks of truce†.Recognizing that they do not have the army to oppose Edward I had he decided to invade Scotland instead, the Scots, after long deliberation, finally agreed to recognize Edward I's overlordship. Edward I then finally awarded the Scottish crown to John de Baliol. John de Baliol soon found out that â€Å"the crown which he had obtained by means of a base concession had only transformed him from a poweful noble into the slave of an imperious and exacting master. † He soon revolted against the English crown.Edward launched his armies to Scotl and and on 1296, finally defeated the Scottish army at Dunbar. He demanded â€Å"nothing less than the total surrender† of John de Baliol and his kingdom. Incapable of resistance, the king of Scotland resigned his kingdom into the hands of Edward I. Considering the facts stated above, it was not until 1296 A. D. that the Scots had an actual armed conflict with the English through John de Baliol's short-lived rebellion, and when Edward the Longshanks â€Å"claimed the throne of Scotland for himself†, sixteen years later than the film's 1280 A.D. Edward the Longshanks is also not a pagan. Being the king of England, he is, in fact, a Christian—a fact that is evidenced by the ceremony of coronation. As John Steane explains: â€Å"the king was invested by the Archbishop of Canterbury with spiritual power as God's annointed, like the kings of Israel before him. Henceforward, the king was set aart from his subjects, at least on a par with, and to some extent superior to, churchmen. † It would be imprudent to think the Archbishop of Canterbury would annoint a non-Christian as King of England.Furthermore, he did not invite the Scottish nobles for â€Å"talks of truce† but presented himself as an arbitrator, which was perhaps a response to an earlier appeal made by the Scots, to the internal conflicts of the Scots themselves. That King Edward I took advantage of the political turmoil that has engulfed Scotland may be true enough but the manner of which it has been presented in the film is nowhere near from truth. The widely accepted, though still debated, father of William Wallace was Malcolm Wallace of Ellerslie, who was descended from ancient knights and baronets of Craigie and who himself is a Scottish knight.Sir Malcolm Wallace was of noble family and not â€Å"a commoner with his own lands. † Although there are sources that say Malcolm Wallace has only two sons, it is also widely accepted that he has at least three sons, an d in any case, Malcolm (same name as the father) or Andrew was the name of the eldest son, William would be the second son while John would be the youngest when Malcolm is presented to have three sons (compare with the film in which John is presented as being older than William).John has also outlived William by two years, compared with the film in which John was presented to have died when William was still a young boy. It should be also noted that Sir Malcolm Wallace (the father) was still alive in 1291, when the Scottish nobles met with Edward I (in contrast with the film wherein he died in 1280). He was one of those who did not accept the claim of overlordship of Edward I and went into self-exile.The inaccuracies stated above happened only during the first few minutes of the film and already there are a lot of them. As the story depicted in the film progresses, there would still be a lot more of inaccuracies. The inaccuracies, however, may be based on the different versions of t he accounts on the life of William Wallace—it has already been stipulated that much of his life is unknown that even the date of his birth is debated.We have already established that Edward I was not able to claim Scotland for himself until 1296. However, in 1291, after he misled the nobles of Scotland that he would act as an arbitrator but instead asserted his overlordship and the nobles had to swear allegiance to him, different towns and fortresses of Scotland had already been garrisoned by English soldiers (still 11 years later than the faulty 1280, although, in the film, there appears nothing that suggest that English garrisons were present in Scotland).The English soldiers, considering themselves masters of Scotland, treated the people with great contempt and cruelty, took from them by force whatever they had a fancy to (which most probably include sexual advances), and if the owners offered resistance, they were abused, beat, and sometimes killed; for which acts of viol ence the english authorities neither checked nor punished.Brawls were frequent occurences between the inhabitants and the soldiers and Wallace seldom remained inactive to those which came under his notice, compared with the film's depiction of Scots being totally submissive to such abuses and the depicion of Wallace as a reluctant patriot. It should also be noted that even as a young man, Wallace already displayed his indignation with the English, not only until his wife was murdered as was depicted in the film.Fact of the matter is that he was outlawed even before the Battle of Dunbar in 1296 where the English had totally defeated King John Baliol's forces and King Edward has taken the throne for himself. He would have been 20-24 years of age during this time if we consider his birth to be between 1272 to 1276, and 15-19 when the English had started setting up garrisons in Scotland.William Wallace â€Å"had witnessed as a boy the independence, the security and the happiness of his country, under the reign of Alexander, and the contrast which he† beheld upon the establishment of English garrisons that roused the feelings in his heart which have â€Å"been animated by a love of liberty and a hatred of tyranny and dissimulation, that nothing but death could extinguish. † The same is true for most of the Scots during that time. Prima Nocte, or the right for a lord to bed the bride on the first night of her wedding day, was also mentioned in the film.It was presented to be one of the oppressions made by the English to the â€Å"sons of Scotland. † The Jus Primae Noctis, or the law of first night, was introduced in the fifteenth century medieval Europe, at least a century later from the death of William Wallace. It was apparently â€Å"developed by the lords and used as humiliating signs of superiority over the dependent peasants. † Edward the Longshanks, in the film, said that â€Å"the problem about Scotland is that it is full of Scot s. † He further asserts that â€Å"if we can't drive them out, we'll breed them out.† Thus, in the film, Prima Nocte was justified as a means to â€Å"breed out† the Scots from Scotland. It is not in the interest of Edward I, however, to â€Å"drive out† the Scots, but, perhaps, only to invade them and expand his territory. There are, in fact, many Scottish nobles that held land in England, regardless they were granted these lands in exchange of them swearing allegiance to the English Crown, much as there were English nobles who held lands in Scotland. However, there are little, if not none at all, evidence that Jus Primae Noctis was practiced in the fifteenth century, much less during the time of William Wallace.While rape and murder most certainly occurred during the English exploits in Scotland, Prima Nocte most probably did not. It is flagrantly adulturous in the eyes of the Church and England, being a Christian country, could not tolerate such an abus e, much less putting it into a law. For most historians, Prima Nocta is but a myth. Even some of the momentous events in the history of Scotland with a major participation of Sir William Wallace was depicted in the film with much inaccuracies.There are two major battles depicted in the film—the Battle of Stirling Bridge and the Battle of Falkirk—which were both parts of the Scottish Wars of Independence. It is very easy to notice that the film did not include a bridge in the Battle of Stirling Bridge, which, as the name already implies, includes a bridge. Perhaps the creators of the film mistook this particular battle for the Battle of Stirling which happened in 1648, more than three centuries after the death of William Wallace.It is important to note that the bridge itself was a major factor for the victory of the Scots against the English during that battle, that despite the advantage in numbers of the English army the Scots still prevailed. The English would have to cross the bridge, which at that time was so narrow that it could be crossed only with at most two horses abreast at a time and would have taken the them several hours to cross, after which they would enter a narrow loop in the River Forth that will leave their flank dangerously exposed to attack even before they were ready for battle, thereby nullifying their advantage in numbers.The participation of Andrew Murray was also not included in the film. Also in contrast with the film, the battle did not commence when Wallace arrived at the scene. Fact is that Wallace's and Murray's armies were already waiting on the opposite bank of the river when the English, headed by John de Warrene, Earl of Surrey, arrived at Stirling Bridge. Even after that, Warrene decides to delay crossing the bridge for several days to allow for negotiations.Two Dominican friars were sent to Wallace to demand their surrender with which Wallace replied: â€Å"Tell your commander that we are not here to make peac e but to do battle, defend ourselves and liberate our kingdom. Let them come on, and we shall prove this in their very beards. † Compared with the film, this speech was more solemn and educated, not a taunting challenge. The English, confident of their advantage in numbers and military superiority, were surprised by the refusal of the Scots to surrender and on the 11th of September 1297 decided to cross the bridge.Wallace's speech in the film was not characteristic of nobles during the thirteenth century or at any other time, not with â€Å"kiss his own arse† language. Compare also the film's presentation that the English negotiated with other Scottish nobles when it was with Wallace they negotiated with. The film also depicted those Scottish nobles introducing Wallace to the English lords when, fact of the matter is, Wallace had already gained popularity at that time with the Scots and the English alike. The Battle of Falkirk also suffered much inaccuracies in the film .In the film, Wallace used the schiltrons to resist the enemy's heavy infantry at the Battle of Stirling Bridge. Although, Wallace really used long spears to achieve his victory, the schiltron was never really used in that particular battle. Instead the schiltron was used at the Battle of Falkirk, from which the film failed to include. Wallace had no need for the schiltron at the Battle of Stirling Bridge as it is mainly a defensive tactic against heavy cavalry. Although the English started moving first by crossing the Stirling Bridge, it was really Wallace who started the attack.On the otherhand, Wallace knew he was at a disadvantage at Falkirk and readied his men in a defensive formation, which was mainly with the use of schiltrons. Knowing that the cavalry is useless against the schiltron, Edward I ordered his cavalry to attack the Scottish archers. Edward I did not order to loose arrows with his infantry in a melee with the Scots, as was depicted in the film. Instead, he ordered the arrows loose upon the schiltrons, which were in no position for defense against such attack.It was in such manner that the Scots were defeated in the said battle, which the film failed to present properly. It is true enough that the Scottish cavalry, under the command of the other nobles, â€Å"shamelessly rode off the field, without a blow being given or taken,† but detail by detail, the film's depiction of the Battle of Falkirk is in no way accurate. As for clothing and armor, the poem by Blind Harry gives us a short description as to how William Wallace looks like in battle: A habergione under his goune he war, A steylle capleyne in his bonet but marr;His glowis of plait in claith war couerit wiell In his doublet a closs coler of steyle; His face he kepit, for it was euir bar, With his twa handis, the quhilk full worthi war. † George Grant gives us a simple explanation. The habergione was a sort of chain-mail or ring-mail, extremely light and flexible, allowing the greatest freedom to the motions of the wearer, whether on foot or horseback. It was brought into Scotland by the crusaders in the beginning of the reign of Alexander III. During the period of Wallace, they appear to have been in general use both in England and Scotland.The goune was the surcoat, or coat of arms. It was a long, loose dress, without sleeves, open before and behind for the convenience of riding, and girted round the waist by the cingulum militare or belt. It was commonly worn by noblemen. The steylle capleyne, or iron hat had a rim and convex crown and was worn over a hood. The limbs were defended by being encased in boiled leather. Wallace also wore knee-plates of iron and guards for the shin-bones. His shield was round or triangular, would also have been made of iron (not wood as the film depicted).He also kept a dagger folded back under the arm, between the wrist and the elbow, when not in use, and concealed and secured in that position by the cloth of gloves wh ich appears to have worn over his glowis of plait, or arm-plate. His favorite weapon was a two-handed sword, or claymore, which his great strength enabled him to wield with ease. The mace and spear was sometimes also used by him. Paintings and sculptures of Wallace depict him in much the same way as described above. Wallace, in the film was wearing leather armor and kilts, very much in contrast with historical facts.No one wore kilts during his time as it were not introduced until in the sixteenth century, three centuries later after his death. Instead, the Scots who were lesser in standing wore tunics, its nobles were culturally similar with their English counterparts and would have dressed like them. There are much more historical inaccuracies in the film. The bottomline is that the film really is of an epic adventure genre, something short of a fantasy, not a historical presentation. A few mistakes on the details would be forgivable, but to change the story based on facts, an in a grand scale besides, deserves to be rejected as historical.Krossa suggests not to believe anything depicted in the film if one is truly intrested in what really happened during that time. There are elements in the film that coincide with history but that the elements leading up to those coincidences would need to be properly explained to fit to the real history, which the film obviously failed to present. She said that â€Å"it is far safer, and far more efficient, to just ignore the whole film, as regards history, and read a good Scottish history instead. † She adds, however, â€Å"to enjoy the film†¦by all means—just as one enjoys Star Wars or any other work of imagination—simply do not mistake it for history. † Bibliography BBC. â€Å"The Battle of Stirling Bridge—Factsheet. † Available from http://www. bbc. co. uk/history/scottishhistory/independence/trails_independence_stirlingbridge. shtml. Internet; accessed May 4, 2008. Edgar, John George. Memorable Events of Modern History. (1862) Ewan, Elizabeth. â€Å"Braveheart. † American Historical Review 100, no. 4 (1995): 1219–1221. Grant, George. The Life and Adventures of Sir William Wallace: The Liberator of Scotland. Dublin: James M'Glashan (1849) Kock, John T.Celtic Culture: A Historical Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO (2006). Krossa, Sharon L. â€Å"Braveheart Errors: An Illustration of Scale. † Medieval Scotland (2002). Krossa, Sharon L. â€Å"Regarding the Film Braveheart. † Medieval Scotland (2001). Mitchison, Rosalind. A History of Scotland. Routledge, 2002. Rodger, Robert. Documents Illustrative of Sir William Wallace, His Life and Times. (1841) Rowan, Frederica. History of Scotland. 1851. Steane, John. The Archeology of the Medieval English Monarchy. Routledge, 1999. Wettlaufer, Jorg. â€Å"The jus primae noctis as a male power display: A review of historic sources with

Jonathans Swifts’ Gulliver’s Travels Essay

In Joanthans Swifts’ Gulliver’s Travels Part IV he uses a certain character to be his perfect example for what the human race should be. With this character he then will compare to the lowest of all beings to illustrate all the faults of man. These characters in his story are called the Houyhnhnms, which have a uniquely similar pronunciation to the word humans, and the Yahoos, who are the evil beasts of this particular island that Gulliver has washed up upon. Throughout the story as Gulliver describes the people of his home to the Houyhnhnms the reader begins to see how Swift shines a light on all the faults that humans have; compared to a divine, simple and perfect creature as the Houyhnhnms. Gulliver tries to distinct himself from the Yahoos of this land, who he absolutely abhors, by explaining his people’s ways and showing they have the ability to reason, unlike the Yahoos. The reader easily begins to see what Swift is trying to accomplish with his writings. He lets the reader make their own assumptions of the human race, but makes the assumption very clear. Within the story Gulliver describes how â€Å"his eyes had been opened and enlarged his understanding, which he began to view the actions and passions of man in a very different light†(puchner291). Gulliver begins to see that the thick skin, extra hair and long nails are merely the only thing separating himself from the Yahoos. This eye opening is exactly what Swift wants his readers to experience and see that there are so many despicable faults and useless ways of life in their society. The slow dissembling of the faults within man and questioning of the ways of mankind are in complete alignment with the ideas and ways of the Enlightenment, which was in short, to question everything. As Gulliver’s stay on the island continues, this questioning and examination of every aspect of his former life continues as well. The Houyhnhnms, or voices of reason, go on to question the laws of Gulliver’s land. One Houyhnhnms states how he cannot even contemplate how â€Å"the law which was intended for every man’s preservation should be any man’s ruin† (puchner285). Swift takes a deep stab at the governments’ ways of workings at the time and simply shows how it is anything but just and does not make any sense. Swift also makes a remarkable point in the direction of women’s rights, and uses common since to show how the treatment of women of the time was entirely reckless. The voice of a Houyhnhnms explains how it would be â€Å"monstrous in them to give the females a different kind of education from the males† (puchner298). The Houyhnhnms says how this way holds no logic, because it would leave one half of their people only useful for the bringing of children into the world and leave them good for nothing else (puchner298). Swift does not stop there and states how irresponsible it would be to not only leave this group inadequate but to then trust the care and upbringing of their children with these completely incompetent creatures. His reason here is very sound and unmistakable; how can you expect a society to flourish if the raising of man is done by the lowest creature of their society. Gulliver tries to prove to be different form the Yahoos by the fact that he can reason. The Houyhnhnms can see straight through this and one states that â€Å"when a creature pretending to reason could be capable of such enormities, he dreaded lest the corruption of that faculty might be worse than brutality itself† (puchner285). Through the Houyhnhnms response Swift dives into the depths of what humankind is capable of. He tackles how we may have the power of reason but have abused it to the full extent and instead of like the Yahoos caused destruction outwards on the world we have brought corruption into the inner beings of our society. Swift’s writings in Gulliver’s Travels question the entire makings of humankind and even the inability of people to dare to question. The Houyhnhnms are Swifts example of how humans should be but even the Houyhnhnms in their perfectness have a fault. They have no ability to question any facts or speak of â€Å"the thing which is not†. In Swift’s story, Gulliver recants how he remembers how hard it was for him to get his master to comprehend the meaning of the word opinion, or how any fact could be brought to question because â€Å"reason taught us to affirm or deny only where we are certain; and beyond our knowledge we cannot do either† (puchner297). Swift wants the reader to understand that you must not be afraid to put your thoughts and what you have been taught all of your life into question, to not fear the unknown. The Houyhnhnms refuse to believe that there are nations outside of their own island, similar to the way people refuse to think that there are opinions and answers other than their own that could be right. Swift uses his story Gulliver’s Travels to ignite the idea that the world as you know may not be the best of what it could be, just as the way stories have been used to teach children lessons at a young age. In Voltaire’s story Candide, his main character Candide is taken on a journey where he is determined to find his true love Cunegonde, which he is separated form in the beginning of the story. Through his journey Voltaire has Candide also in constant search for any man that is happier than he. In the story Candide has a friend named Pangloss who is a philosopher. In the beginning of this tale Pangloss states that â€Å"there cannot possibly be an effect without a cause† and that â€Å"things cannot be otherwise than they are, for since everything is made to serve an end, everything necessarily serves the best end† (puchner356). Voltaire takes these quotes throughout the story and commits Candide to question it at every chance, but is blinded by pure devotion to what his friend Pangloss has said and continues to push on. Voltaire uses the comparison of two opposites just as Jonathan Swift did in Gulliver Travel’s IV. Voltaire uses the land Eldorado in Candid e to compare to Westphalia. Eldorado is the example of the perfect world while Westphalia is full of everything that is wrong with the world in Voltaire’s opinion. In this sacred Eldorado Candide and Cacambo witnesses how the people have no desire or wants for the jewels that line their streets. He states that â€Å"the children of this land must be well trained, since they are taught contempt for gold and jewels† (puchner381). During their dinner with their host at the hotel Candide tries to use the gold for payment but in this perfect Eldorado people are courteous and hotels are made and paid for by the state and they do not need any money. Later Candide begins to ask about religion and finds that this land has the perfect religion where they do not have monks that dictate what they do and punish them if they do not practice their religion as they say they should (putchner383). Instead Voltaire describes a religion where people are all of the same mind and can freely practice their religion (puc hner282). Once Candide meets the king he finds that this perfect land has no parliament for there was no need and no prisons but they had a gallery full of places to study sciences with mathematical and physical instruments to help further knowledge (putchner383). Here you can see how Voltaire is creating a world that has no prejudices and is surrounded by the overall bettering and good of the people. Although Candide and Cacambo have found the perfect world they still are not satisfied. This is a major flaw in man, to continue to want even after they have everything they need. In response to this, Candide and Cacambo leave and take all the riches they need that they assume will bring them happiness but instead are presented with tragedy after tragedy that brings them right back to where they began. Candide then by losing everything somehow is reunited with all his friends and they make it to a tiny farm to live where Pangloss continues to question. He finds a philosopher that he wants to discuss the â€Å"effects and causes, the best of possible worlds, the origin of evil, the nature of the soul, and pre-established harmony† (putchner412) all of which are prime examples of some of the main parts that have been in question during the Enlightenment; but instead Pangloss has the door slammed in his face; similar to the way man refuses to discuss these very same aspect. Pangloss still does not stop asking questions and making philosophical assumptions even to the very end of the story and after all the terrible things that had happened to him. Candide then runs into a Turk that states that most of the time the people who get involved in others business, perish terribly (putchner413). The Turk then continues to tell Candide that he and his family cultivate their 20 acres â€Å"and the work keeps [them] from three great evils, boredom, vice, and poverty† (putchner413). Candide takes the Turks words very seriously and soon sets out his life to imitate the Turks and sets up a garden to cultivate. After meeting all the people throughout his journey he finds this man to be the only person happier than him and he had found a way to make life bearable; so Candide commits to doing the same. Voltaire has much to say through his character Pangloss and Martin, about men who choose to live their lives working. Pangloss states that â€Å"man was not born to take his ease† and Martin comments that â€Å"working without speculation is the only way of rendering life bearable.† Candide finally has everything that he wanted all on their farm but sees that what he wanted and thought is not anymore what he wants or thinks. Cunegonde has lost all her beauty and he does not love her anymore and Pangloss’s theory does not hold a light in Candid’s’ mind anymore. He decides to change his life and stop wanting more and make a life that is focused on one goal; to cultivate his garden and not worry about the trifles amongst the world. He then sees clearly that he makes his own happiness and others do not. The garden will keep him away from the evils in which he has met all his life. He will not have to want for food and beg, and he will only have enough for what he needs and not what he wants and this will keep his mind busy and away from boredom. Pope’s writings differ greatly from Swift’s or Voltaire’s. In Pope’s Essay on Man, he uses poetry to illustrate his philosophical points. The start of his essay states â€Å" what can we reason but from what we know†(putchner345). Pope gains the reader’s attention by simply saying that he is just going to examine Man. This alone is what the Enlightenment was about, to take into account all that you thought you knew and then ask yourself, is this really what I know. Pope goes to ask the question, are we the only system or universe? He says to just â€Å"observe how system into system runs†(putchner345). How can we be the only world is the question he wishes to ignite in us; if we just look at our world we can clearly see that we are too a system within a system and perhaps we have a purpose within this very sphere. He continues to ask question among question to further state, why are we the way we are? And are we the highest being above all on earth and if so, should we be in this place? We can see where he asks â€Å"if God has placed him wrong† and should we have the power over the world that we do (putchner345). If God has placed us in this high position then shouldn’t we be perfe ct, but he describes free will by saying that â€Å"man’s as perfect as he ought† and that we are as good as we let ourselves be (putchner346). The Essay on Man discusses fate and why we do not know our own fate or more then the very page that we are on in life. If â€Å"had he thy reason, would he skip and play† (putchner346) and continue to live our lives if we knew how it would all end. He gives the answer that hope of the unknown is what keeps man going. He examines the Indian people, a prime example of living in the unknown; for they had no sciences to let them see the planets and the universe but still remained to have God in their culture. He said they have a â€Å"humbler heaven† before the Europeans came to conquer their land and torment them for their gold (putchner347). Pope describes to the reader that pride is our error and we blame God for everything when we are not happy. Our pride gives us the right to think that earth is for our own use. He explains â€Å"why has not man a microscopic eye†, his response is simple â€Å"that man is not a fly† (putchner347). Pope wants the reader to see that God has made us the way we are and we are not meant to see that far; that we are meant to inspect the earth not to understand the heavens. He ends his essay by saying that â€Å"all partial evil [is] universal good† and that â€Å"whatever is, is right† (putchner351). This very statement was examined greatly by Voltaire’s work Candide and has been examined by many philosophers and thinkers even to this very present day. The Rape of the Lock is another story written by Pope in which he also uses poetry to reach the reader but in my case went over my head. He illustrates a beautiful story of a girl named Belinda that his great at playing cards and wins the heart of every man and Sylph she comes across. The Sylphs follow Belinda throughout her entire day and Pope begins to show how man has no control over anything that happens; whether that may be the folding of her sleeves or the safety of Belinda. Pope may be continuing his theory that man has his own fate but that he cannot know it and certain Powers that are out of our understand control our day to day life. That this is the way things are and it is in our best ability to be happy with the life we are given. Even the fair Belinda blessed with all the beauty in the world is not spared by fates hand. The loss of her strand of hair in the end may resemble the loss of virtue and her pride for even the perfect can be brought down. Works Cited Puchner, Martin, Suzanne Akbari, Wiebke Denecke, Vinay Dharwadke, and Barbara Fuchs. The Norton Anthology of World Literature. 3rd ed. Vol. D. New York, London: W. W. Norton & Company, 2012. 269-413. Print.

Central Nervous system &Metaphors

This essay explores the concept of an organization style metaphorically as professed by Gareth Morgan in his book Images of Organizations (1989). This essay provides examples of how the responsibilities and functionality of upper management within a corporation serve similar functions as to how the brain functions within the Central Nervous system. First, one must understand exactly what a metaphor is in order to understand how Morgan (1989) comes to his conclusion.A metaphor is defined by Merriam-Webster dictionary as a figure of speech in which a word or phrase literally denoting one kind of object or idea is used in place of another to suggest a likeness or analogy between them (2009). Morgan (1989) discusses how the brain is a metaphor for a company’s organization structure and behavior. He considers the organization as the brain and draws attention to the importance of information, learning, and intelligence, and provides a framework for understanding modern organizations . This style of organization has the capacity to be flexible and inventive with a continuous improvement mindset.The brain stores and processes enormous amounts of information in its parts simultaneously thus the end result being able to speak and walk. To understand the brain like metaphor we have to understand that the brain is made of two hemispheres. It is understood that the left side of the brain is the more logical, analytical and rational side, much like the strategy and finance side of an organization whereas the right side is more creative and emotional much like the marketing and human resources departments of an organization.Like the brain, an organization has areas that concentrate on particular parts of the business; however, the organization as a whole must work together. Each department can work on its own as can be seen in artificial intelligence such as Rodney Brooks' mobot (Morgan, 1989). The functions of an organization such as Marketing, Human Resources, Finance , Operations, and Information Technology have a series of processes which results in the function of whole organization. Each of these departments in an organization can be likened to a sensory input element to the executive â€Å"brain†.Marketing, for example, can serve as the â€Å"eyes† of the organization by providing input to the brain related to the business environment, supply and demand and other market elements important to the navigation capabilities of the organization. The Finance department acts as the â€Å"skin† by providing information about the financial atmosphere and environment of the corporate body. The Finance department â€Å"skin† can tell the corporate brain whether conditions are financially cool, or hot. Also, the †skin† can indicate whether the organization is acting in a manner that produces â€Å"pain† in terms of financial difficulties.Operations acts as the ears of an organization, providing information a bout the â€Å"balance† of the entire organization and allowing the brain of the leadership to issue the appropriate instructions to the organization to keep it moving without collapse. Human Resources acts as a taste mechanism for the organizational body, giving the brain an idea of the building blocks (personnel) that are being introduced to the organizational body. The IT department can be likened to the central nervous system. It is this department that maintains the flow of information to and from the â€Å"brain† of the organization.The metaphor of the organization as a body with the corporate officers as the brain can be further understood with respect to what happens when there are breakdowns in any one of the parts composing the organizational body. Failure of the Human Resource department, for example, can lead to the ingestion of organizational poison: workers who are not qualified for the jobs they are assigned. If the â€Å"skin† of finance fails, t he infection of debt may set in, causing necrosis to various parts of the organizational body.It is possible that such a result could result in a systemic infection that could kill the entire organization. The Operations department should malfunction; the entire organization could lose its balance and fall, destroying the organizational â€Å"brain†. Perhaps most significantly, the failure of IT to properly move information between the â€Å"brain† and the other appendages of the organization, the result is paralysis, as the messages the executive send get lost or misinterpreted. The organization-as-brain-and-body metaphor goes a long way toward explaining the interconnectivity of various aspects of organizations.All the component parts contribute information to the executive â€Å"brain† which can react quickly and guide the organization toward action that will make the most effective use of the information. The failure of any one of the component parts of the organizational body represents a hazard that threatens the organization as a whole, and the brain in particular. â€Å"Metaphor. † Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. 2009. Merriam-Webster Online. 17 April 2009

Descriptive Writing Essay

The much publicized meteor shower has finally arrived and is a much anticipated awaited aesthetic show. As I’m observing the dark night sky waiting for the gorgeous meteors to enter Earth’s atmosphere, I see the sensational stunning spectacular sparkling stars. While sitting on my porch in the small town of Malton, I hear a small owl chirping on my backyard tree and the soothing summer breeze gusting throughout the trees. I can hear the constant chatter of my neighbours as they eagerly wait for the show to begin. This being my first meteor shower observation, I feel really happy and believe that this is going to be an amazing show that I wouldn’t miss for the world. The meteor shower is starting and I’m full of enjoyment, gazing at the sky, I see meteors enter Earth’s atmosphere at a tremendous rate, the beautiful sky is lit up with different colours; orange, blue and a bit of purple. The bright strands of light are appealing to the human eye. While meteors are falling every 10-20 seconds, they hardly make a sound. My family comes onto the porch gawking at the meteors, both them and I are watching in enjoyment. My dad brings out his camera and takes numerous pictures of the beautiful sight. The meteor shower finishes, my family goes inside gossiping about the show and how they won’t see it again, I on the other half stay outside and glance at the Big and Little Dipper. The stars start to vanish and I go inside to reminisce with my family and neighbours the next day. In conclusion, this is a moment that will be cherished in my memories for a lengthy period of time and I will surely share these breathtaking sights with my children.

Refugee Blues †W.H. Auden Essay

Poet – Wynstan Hugh Auden, born as a doctor’s son in February 1907 in York, United Kingdom, counts as one of the greatest English poets of the twentieth century. Theme – abuse of human rights experienced not only by German Jews but by other Jews and by refugees anywhere. Structure – The poem contains twelve stanzas of three lines each. The first and second line of each stanza rhyme. The two rhyming lines of each stanza tell the story, while the third line contains a refrain (like a chorus) that develops the theme of the poem. Analysis – The use of the word blues also reinforces the musical theme of the poem as the sub-genre of jazz – this style of music was created by the slaves in slave communities in the Southern States of the USA. The origin and the modern meaning of this word tie in with the two purposes of the poem. The repeated use of â€Å"my dear† suggests that the couple are married, but doesn’t give a clue as to whether it is the husband or wife speaking. The first stanza notes that the city they have fled to is full of people, both rich and poor, yet there is no space for them. With the use of word such as â€Å"souls† it suggest something valuable or holy about each and every one of the people within the city, it also implies that they are all the same. The tree is an interesting symbol in the next stanza. The tree can go through nature’s cycle but can. However, this is contrasted with man-made documents that, once lost, can never be recovered: ‘Old passports can’t do that, my dear’.