Soldiers Home Essays - Literature, American Literature, Fiction

Soldier's Home As you already know, war and its affects are major themes in Hemingway's writings. In the introduction I mentioned that Hemingway was wounded in battle. When he returned home, he could not adjust to situations in the United States. In a sense, he was alone and frightened by new surroundings. In the short story Soldier's Home, we see a slight comparison to the feelings of Hemingway returning home from war. (Hemingway coming home from Italy) The story Soldier's Home is about a man named Krebs, the protagonist, who returns home from battle in Germany. But his return was not greeted; he came home much too late. Hemingway sets the tone of the story by suggesting that the town thought, it was rather ridiculous for Krebs to be getting back so late, years after the war was over. Here Hemingway starts to develop the overall tone of the story; desolation, driven by the traumas of war. Krebs wants some sort of attention, but the town responds by paying no attention. This is shown when Hemingway writes about Krebs wanting to talk about the war?Later he felt the need to talk but no one wanted to hear about it. His town had heard too many atrocity stories to be thrilled by actualities. As the story continues, Hemingway takes a turn and tries to relate Krebs with women. Krebs sits on the porch of his family's house and watches girls walk by. But, even though he wants a girl, he can't approach one. Hemingway describes that Krebs does not want to get into the intrigue and the politics of getting a girl. I think Hemingway shows that Krebs is suffering from post-war affects when he writes, He did not want any consequences. He did not want any consequences ever again. He wanted to live along without consequences. Besides he did not really need a girl. After experiencing the consequences of war, Krebs needs simple and comfortable situations to rest his mind, not complications. Hemingway goes on to explain how Krebs prefers French and German girls, rather than American. This could describe how Krebs is familiar with the life of war and not knowing how to cope with this unfamiliar life of peace, again. (Ruins in Germany) Hemingway ends the story in a very powerful way. Krebs' mother talks to him about getting his life started again; getting a job, etc. She exclaims, God has some work for everyone to do, there can be no idle hands in His Kingdom. She continues on by giving him a lecture. Then, she asks him to pray with her, but Krebs says that he can not. I believe this is an example of Krebs giving up on God. The horrors and traumas of war drove him to disbelief. I believe Hemingway wants the reader to feel for Krebs. The expectations I had while reading were not satisfied. Krebs stayed distant from his family and offered no signs of help. I was hoping that there would be a moment of realization. A moment where Krebs thought he needed help from outside factors other than himself. But, there was no such moment. Hemingway does this purposely to show the reader that there are no easy ways to end these strong feelings of desolation. I think Hemingway uses the Iceberg Theory again by making the reader discern what is important about Krebs and why he is so distant from others. Hemingway does a great job in showing an affect of war not widely thought about. The short story Soldier's Home, portrays a lost man within a familiar home town. English Essays

Dbq Industrial Revolution Essay Example

Dbq Industrial Revolution Essay Example Dbq Industrial Revolution Paper Dbq Industrial Revolution Paper 1. While the French Revolution was opening a new political era, another revolution was transforming economic and social life. This was the Industrial Revolution, which began in Britain around the mid eighteen hundreds and started to influence the rest of Europe and then the world. It was a rapid period that brought about radical changes. The Industrial Revolution is usually defined as the shift from agrarian revolution to one based on the products of machine manufacturing. As a matter of fact, the revolution was much more involved rather than simply a shift to machine manufacture. It involved new and more efficient ways of organizing tasks, it led to increase in agricultural productivity, the harnessing of plentiful labor and the expanded role of financial institutions that began in the second half of the century that would transform society. The Industrial Revolution began in Great Britain for many reasons. The conditions in Britain happened to be perfect at that time. Englands natural resources helped in many ways to boom the newly Industrial Revolution. For instance, Englands abundance of coal provided a good power source for energy; its abundance of iron would be needed for construction (Doc. 1, 4) and the damp climate was good for cotton growing. These new source of energies replaced wind and water to create labor saving machines that dramatically decrease the use of human and animal labors and at the same time increase the level of productivity. As a result Englands population grew rapidly providing a labor force for the industry. Beginning in the middle of the eighteenth century, the Industrial Revolution began in Great Britain. This revolution greatly increased the output of machine made goods. The Industrial Revolution began in Great Britain because of its many natural resources such as coal, iron, water, and lead. (DOC 1,4) Great Britain had natural harbors and rivers. Great Britain was an Island in Western Europe that was separated from Europe, which meant no wars. Also, the Industrial Revolution began in Great Britain because of the textile industry. Britain had an abundance of cotton, used in the making of textiles. When the cottage industry and the manufacturing of clothing at home changed to the factory system, new machines were being created. Also, several key-inventors of these machines were from Great Britain and contributed to the factory system being established. (DOC5)Also, efficient transportation was already set up in Britain and it was further innovated with the demand between producers and suppliers. Great Britain also had a lot of natural resources such as coal and iron. he Industrial Revolution affected every part of life in Great Britainm but proved to be a mixed blessing. Eventually, indutrialization led to be a better quality of life for most people. But the change to machine production initially caused human suffering. Rapid industrialization brought plentiful jons, the ills of child labor. It also led to rising class tensions, especially between the working class and the middle class Another aspect of the Engl ish society that allowed the Industrial Revolution to start in England was the structural class system. In England in the mid seventeen hundreds, there was no dominant and powerful feudal class that restricted and forced changes in society. Instead, there was an abundance of free workers(DOC2) who did not own land. This class structure together with the revolutionry movement made the concept of indurtrializing efficient and easy. Ultimately the main reason the Industrial Revolution began in England was because of its natural recources and form of efficient government.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Payback Assignment

Advantages and Disadvantages of Payback - Assignment Example Payback period is also an effective capital budgeting technique whereby the break-even point for an investment proposal is calculated. When investment is made in a project, there are no profits earned in the initial few years of operation. Profits are earned after the business achieves break even, where the level of investment made in the project becomes equal to the inflow of cash earned over the years. If the initial investment made in a project $150,000 and the cash flows each year is $50,000. Then the payback period as per the above formula is 3 years. At the end of the third year, the company will be able to recover the entire investment that it has made in the project. From the third year onwards the company would be earning profits upon the project. In case of two or more mutually exclusive projects, the management is seen to select the one which has a lower payback period (Baker and English, 2011). Payback period is one of the simplest capital budgeting techniques to appraise a given project. It is easy to use and simple to calculate. Payback period helps managers to understand the time period required to attain liquidity in a given investment proposal. It also helps the management to analyze the risk factor in a given investment proposal. The longer the duration of the project, the higher is the risk factor. Payback period does not take into consideration the time value of money. This is because the method does not take into consideration discounting of future cash inflows to arrive at the present value of net inflow. Payback period helps in understanding the liquidity factor associated with projects ignoring the profitability factor completely. The system takes into consideration only the inflow of cash prior to the payback period and does not consider the cash inflows after it (Bierman and Smidt, 2007).

Identify an issue which you think is important in the British Essay

Identify an issue which you think is important in the British Education system today. In what way can sociology help us understa - Essay Example However, evidence suggests that there exists racial inequality in the UK educational system (DFES, 2005) with the most affected groups being ethnic minority pupils of Black, Irish Travelers and Gypsy/Roma heritages. The evidence shows that pupils from these racial backgrounds perform poorly in schools compared to their counterparts from other ethnic groups, a situation that has long-term implications on their future. Efforts by various stakeholders to find a way of breaking this chain of inequality, educational underachievement and restricted life chances continue to remain a fundamental challenge. Although the UK policymakers and practitioners have come up with wide ranging attempts to alleviate this problem, the desired impact is yet to be achieved. This paper looks at racial inequality in the UK educational system and tries to explain the phenomenon though the lenses of theories of sociology at an attempt to understand the causes. Moreover, the paper outlines evidence that suggest s racial inequality still exists in the educational system

Question and Quote Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Question and Quote - Essay Example This action is to strengthen the financial structure of the country through the regulation of the individual institutions and the promotion of the interdependence of the financial firms and the participants of the financial system (Morgan Lewis Website, 2009, p.1; US Department of Treasury, 2009) The need for the improvement of the regulation of financial firms had been realized during the latest financial crisis due to the credit boom and housing bubble. This triggered the need for reformation of the financial system (Walker, 2009, p.1). The action of the US government is an immediate response to the need of the nation. There are comments and criticisms on the limitations of the Financial Regulatory Reform. On a personal point of view, the US government made an immediate effort to act upon the financial crisis, thus, it is commendable. This hindered the worsening of the situation. At such a short period of time, alertness had been a crucial strategy. II.

Mercutio of William Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet Essay -- Shakespear

Mercutio of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet Although the story of Romeo and Juliet does not focus on Mercutio, to many, he is one of the most interesting characters in literature. His name puns on the word mercurial which meansunpredictably changeable. His unsteady behavior makes him wise beyond his intentions. Arecurring trend in Shakespeare’s plays is the existence of a witty fool and many foolish wits. People such as Romeo, Friar Laurence, and Capulet are people who are made out to be wise, but,in the end, they make all the wrong decisions. Mercutio serves as a foil to all these characters. He is considered by every character in the play to be a fool, but, in the long run, he is the one whois the wisest. He brings a sense of comic relief as well as a reality check to many of the character’s inthe play. Although he can be seen as a laughable youth, his character serves to show how manyof the so-called wiser characters are actually fools. The audience is first introduced to Mercutio in Act one, Scene two . Romeo speaks of having a dream and believing it to be true. This leads Mercutio to his famous Queen Mab speech. When he breaks down after his speech, Romeo states, â€Å"Thou Talk’st of nothing (I.iv. 96).† Mercutio responds with his first wise quote, â€Å"True, I talk of dreams, Which are the children of anidle brain (I.iv. 97-98).† This comment does not refer to Romeo’s dream of love alone. Friar Laurence’s dream of peace in Verona proves false. In Act two, Scene four ,when the nurseappears in her gaudy attire acting as if she is the owner of the Capulet’s servant Peter, it isMercutio that churlishly reminds her that she is of the servant class as well. Mercutio’s commentprovides an alternative view of real... ... again, according to Mercutio, there is no such thing as fortune. There is the outcome of one’s actions. Romeo is unknowingly calling himself a fool for his own careless judgment. Shakespeare is loved for his story lines, but he is respected for the characters he has created. It is ironic how in Romeo and Juliet characters such as Capulet, Romeo, and Friar Laurence are made out to be wise but in actuality make bad judgment. It is also ironic that Mercutio is depicted as a childish youth when really he is the character with the most insight. Shakespeare uses Mercutio’s insight as a contrast to every other character to show how ridiculous the other characters actually are. If you pay attention to the plots and story lines, this play is a love story. If you understand Mercutio’s purpose, then this play is one of the greatest satires on human emotions ever made.

Subalterns

Concept of Subaltern and Subaltern Studies Dr. Abhishek Gopal* ‘Subaltern' originally is a term for subordinates in military hierarchies which is elaborated in the work of Antonio Gramsci to refer to groups who are outside the established structure of political representation. Subaltern was first used in a nonmilitary sense by Marxist Antonio Gramsci. Some believe that he used the term as a synonyms for proletariat, possibly as a codeword in order to get his writings past prison censors, while others believe his usage to be more nuanced and less clear cut (Morton, Stephen).It has also been emphasised that the term â€Å"subaltern† is an allusion to the work of Italian Marxist Antonio Gramsci (1881-1937) which literally, refers to any person or group of inferior rank and station, whether because of race, class, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity or religion. The term ‘subaltern' is used in post-colonial theory. The exact meaning of the term in current philosophic al and critical usage is disputed. Some thinkers use it in a general sense to refer to marginalized groups and the lower classes – a person rendered without agency by his or her social status (Young, Robert J.C. , 2003). Others such as Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak use it in a more specific sense. She argues that ‘subaltern' is not just a classy word for oppressed, for others, for somebody who's not getting a piece of the pie†¦ In post-colonial terms, everything that has limited or no access to the cultural imperialism is Subaltern – a space of difference. Now who would say that's just the oppressed? The working class is oppressed. It's not subaltern†¦ Many people want to claim subalternity. They are the least interesting and the most dangerous.I mean, just by being a discriminated – against a minority on the university campus, they don't need the word ‘Subaltern†¦ ‘. They should see what the mechanics of discrimination are. They ar e within the hegemonic discourse wanting a piece of the pie and not being allowed, so let them speak, use the hegemonic discourse. They should not call themselves subaltern (de Kock, Leon; 1992 : 29-47). Gayatri Spivak suggests that the subaltern is denied access to both mimetic and political forms of representation. *Ex-Lecturer, Sociology, Govt. Degree College, Jhakhini, Varanasi 2 It may also be pointed that in several essays, Homi Bhabha, a key-thinker within post-colonial thought, emphasizes the importance of social power relations in his working definition of ‘Subaltern' groups as oppressed minority groups whose presence was crucial to the self-definition of the majority group : Subaltern social groups were also in a position to subvert the authority of those who had hegemonic power (Laura Garcia et. al. , 1996, pp. 191-207).It is noteworthy that Bonaventura de Sousa Santos (2002) uses the term ‘Subaltern Cosmopolitanism' extensively in his book. He refers to this in the context of counter-hegemonic practices, movements, resistances and struggles against neoliberal globalization, particularly the struggle against social exclusion. He also uses the term interchangeably with cosmopolitan legality as the diverse normative framework for an ‘equality of differences'. Infact, here, the term subaltern is used to denote marginalized and oppressed people(s) specifically struggling against hegemonic globalization.It may be emphasized that subaltern is a term that commonly refers to the perspective of persons from regions and groups outside the hegemonic power structure. Infact, in the 1970s' the term began to be used as a reference to colonized people in the South-Asian sub-continent. It provided a new perspective on the history of colonized place from the perspective of colonized rather than from the perspective of hegemonic power. In this context, Marxist historians had already begun to view colonial history from the perspective of the proletar iat but this was unsatisfying as it was still a Euro-centric way of viewing the globe.However, Subaltern is now regularly used as a term in history, anthropology, sociology and literature. (Gyan, Prakash, 1994). â€Å"Subaltern studies began in the early 1980s' as an intervention in South-Asian historiography. † While it began as a model for the sub-continent, it quickly developed into a vigorous post-colonial critique. The term subaltern studies group (SSG) or subaltern studies collective (SSC) are a group of South Asian scholars interested in the post-colonial and post-imperial societies of South Asia in particular and the developing world in general.It may be pointed out that the term subaltern studies is sometimes also applied more broadly to others who share many of their views. Infact, their approach is one of history from below, focused more on what happens among 3 the masses at the base levels of society than among the elite. It may be observed that the group associat ed with the subaltern studies arose in the 1980, influenced by the scholarship of Eric Stokes, to attempt to formulate a new narrative of the history of India and South Asia.Undoubtedly, as stated before this narrative strategy most clearly inspired by the writings of Gramsci was explicated in the writings of the ‘mentor' Ranjit Guha, most clearly in his ‘manifesto' in ‘Subaltern studies I' and also in his classic monograph ‘The Elementary Aspects of Peasant Insurgency' although they are, in a sense, on the left, they are very critical of the traditional Marxist narrative of Indian history, in which semi-feudal India was colonized by the British, became politicized, and earned its independence.In particular, they are critical of the focus of this narrative on the political consciousness of elites, who in turn inspire the masses to resistance and rebellion against the British. Instead, they focus on non-elitessubalterns as agents of political and social change . They, infact, have had a particular interest in the discourses and rhetoric of emerging political movements, as against only highly visible actions like demonstrations and uprisings.Thus, from the above discourse it can be observed that the Subaltern studies started in the early 1980 as an intervention in South Asian Historiography and emerged as a model for the subcontinent which quickly developed into a vigorous post-colonial critique. So far as the formation of subaltern studies group is concerned it was founded by Ranjit Guha. It may be pointed out that in more recent times, some former members have become disillusioned with the post-modern turn that the group has taken (notably Sumit Sarkar who left the group).A galaxy of eminent scholars such as Ranjit Guha, David Hardiman, Partha Chatterjee, Dipesh Chakrabarty, Gyan Pandey, Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, Susie Tharu, Gyan Prakash, Sudipta Kaviraj, Edward Said, David Arnold, Gautam Bhadra, Ajay Skaria, Qadri Ismail, Kamran Asda r Ali, Shail Mayaram, Sumit Sarkar (later dissented), Lata Mani, Aamir Mufti, M. S. S. Pandian, Shahid Amin are associated with Subaltern studies. The subaltern concept has become so prominent now a days that it is being regularly used in various disciplines such as literature, history, anthropology and sociology etc. REFERENCES 1. Morton, Stephen, â€Å"The subaltern : Genealogy of a concept†, in Gayatri Spivak : Ethics. 2. Young, Robert J. C. Postcolonialism : A very short Introduction. New York : Oxford University Press, 2003. 3. de Kock, Leon, â€Å"Interview with Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak : New Nation Writers Conference in South Africa. † A Review of International English Literature. 23 (3) 1992 : 29-47. 4. Bhabha, Homi K. â€Å"Unsatisfied : notes on Vernacular Cosmopolitanism†. Text and Nation : Cross-Disciplinary Essays on Cultural and National Identities. Ed. Laura Garcia – Moreno and Peter C.Pfeiffer. Columbia, SC : Camden House, 1996 : 191-207 . 5. Santos, Boaventura de Sousa (2002). Towards a New Legal Common Sense, 2nd ed. (London : Lexis Nexis Butterworths), particularly, pp. 458-493. 6. Gyan Prakash, â€Å"Subaltern Studies as Postcolonial Criticism†, The American Historical Review, December 1994, Vol. 99, No. 5, 1475-1490, 1476. 7. Chaturvedi, Vinayak, ed. , Mapping Subaltern Studies and the Postcolonial. London and New York, 2000. 8. Ludden, David, ed. , Reading Subaltern Studies. Critical History, Contested Meaning and the Globalization of South Asia, London, 2001.