Emotion and Culture in Secret Life of Bees :: Secret Life of Bees Essays

Heart break, joy, love, happiness, The Book The Secret Life of Bees has it all! The book is about a young girls that accidentally shot her mother. After spending nine years with her abusive, and emotionally absent father, she decides to run away. So, she breaks her beloved nanny out of prison, and Lily escapes to Tiburon South Carolina, a town she links to her mother through the writing on one of her old possessions. While in Tiburon, Lily finds the calendar sisters three very different, very helpful sisters. The family agrees to take Lilly in, despite the fact that almost every white person in town frowns upon the very idea of this white girl staying in an African American household. While staying with the sisters, August, May, and June, Lily learns lots of things, ranging from bee keeping, to why and how her mother first left her. She falls in love, explores her past, and finds it within herself to forgive her mother for leaving her, and herself, for shooting her mom. This book is rich in both emotion, and culture. Although the main character in the book was white, the author, Sue Kidd, does a great job of depicting the African American culture during the time. Whether it was Rosaleen getting beat up in jail, or Zach dreaming of being a lawyer, this book showed you what it was like being a minority during a time when rights where still being fought for. One of the smaller conflicts in the story was a man verses man conflict, when Lily and Zach started to like each other. Though they knew that a colored man, and a white girl could never be together, they both were attracted to each other. Were they not from different cultures, people would have been fine with them dating, but because Zach was black, it couldn?t work out. Another internal conflict is how Lilly feels responsible for her mother?s death. When she was four, she accidentally shot her mom, and wasn?t able to forgive herself. The reason she runs away in the first place is because her dad tells her that her mom left her, which is both an internal, and man versus man conflict. She?s mad at her dad for saying it, but can?t fully convince herself that it isn?t true. There?s a man versus society conflict when men beat up Rossaleen because of her color, and another internal conflict when May is so overcome with grief that she cant stop crying.

How do the first five minutes of “Shane” and “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” establish genre and narrative?

A genre is a specific form of media commodity. It has characteristic qualities that are familiar to audiences because the same method is applied repeatedly. A genre functions like a language and is used by film producers to ensure an audience can identify and predict what is likely to happen. Genres can offer comforting reassurance in an uncomfortable situation; the conventions are recognisable usually through iconography, familiar narrative, mise-en-scene, actors and style of representation. These sets of conventions are constantly renegotiated between industry and audience. Genre can also be a way of working through important myths and fear by the use of repetition, variation and resolution and can be thought of as â€Å"tidying up† the mess of life. Narrative involves a basic structure (beginning, middle and end) and a basic decision on the genre of story being told. It can imply the use of various codes to create or to reveal a character, to generate suspense, to provide setting and to further the plot. Through narrative we become aware of the fact that each genre contains certain common elements but have different characteristics. They might be told in different ways, styles, or from different points of view. It is important to know and understand the difference between narrative and story. A story is a sequence of events known correctly as the plot and narrative is the way in which those events are put together so they can be presented to an audience. Narratives involve the following; Technical codes, Verbal codes, Symbolic codes, Structure, Characters and conflict. Twentieth Century theorist Claude Levi Strauss suggested that all narratives had to be driven forward by conflict that was caused by a series of opposing forces. He called this the theory of Binary opposition, and it is used to describe how each main force in a narrative has its equal and opposite. Some examples of these opposing forces are as follows: good/evil, light/dark, right/wrong and poverty/wealth. He believed that if this strategy was used, a balance or resolution could be achieved. Narratives, in short, have to be about change, disturbance and disorder. Commonly narratives will feature the following structure: Establishing a problem, Elaboration of the problem and resolution of the problem. The nature of the problem and how it will be resolved depends on the genre or form of the narrative, whether it involves solving the mystery, punishing the wrongdoer or obtaining the desired object or person. This brings me to the opening sequence, which can be the most important moment in a film. This is because they are the first images the audience sees when the lights go down. These quick segments form a contract outlining the filmmaker's intentions and setting up the expectations of those watching. The opening sequence can be the most action-packed part of a film; it creates suspense and gets the audience asking questions. This is what the director aims to achieve, by getting the audience to unconsciously ask questions he has gained their attention for the remainder of the film. This can also be a chance to give the audience a taster of what's to come by introducing characters and setting up themes. The audience will now be aware of the genre they are going to watch. The Western genre is widely popular with audiences around the world simply because its an easy genre to recognise, we know that westerns are fictional. They are set in west America and are centred on a particular period of American history, the years between 1865 and 1890. â€Å"The Great Train Robbery† is a 1903 Western film. The film is only ten minutes long, but is a high point in filmmaking and is considered the first American western to tell a fictional story. The film used a number of innovative techniques, these included parallel editing, camera movement and location shooting. The film also employed the first pan shots; almost every shot was a static long shot confining the action to the perspective of the camera at eye level. The plot was inspired by a true event that occurred on August 29, 1900, when four members of George Leroy Parker's ‘Hole in the Wall' gang halted the No. 3 train on the Union Pacific Railroad tracks toward Table Rock, Wyoming. The bandits forced the conductor to uncouple the passenger cars from the rest of the train and then blew up the safe in the mail car to escape with about $5,000 in cash. This can be related back to the western genre because it includes the villain; hero and the general setting you would expect to see a Western film in it is relevant because it tells a fictional story this is what Westerns should do. Directed by George Stevens the film Shane was made in 1953, the idea for the film was taken from a novel written by Jack Schaefer. Jack Schaefer was an American journalist, whose best-known novel Shane (1949) has been considered the ultimate achievement in creating a mythical western hero with a shady past. The story followed the pattern of a classical Greek tragedy, in which there is no escape from fate. As a writer Schaefer made his breakthrough with Shane (1949), a tale of a gunman's involvement with a homesteading family in Wyoming. Schaefer had never been west of Cleveland, but his vision of the West was so clear-cut, that his novel Shane was awarded the best western novel ever written in 1985. Alan Ladd who was born in Hot Springs, Arkansas plays Shane. Other main characters include Jean Arthur who plays Marion Starett, Van Heflin who plays Joe Starett and Brandon De Wilde who plays Joey. The titles are old fashioned and are in traditional techni colour. â€Å"George Stevens a production of Shane† appears on screen shortly followed by â€Å"Shane† in a deep red/orange colour. This is typical of the period of 1953 in which these orange colours were fashionable. The music used to accompany these opening titles is strong with a joyful feeling. The opening camera shots reinforce what we have just seen and set up the genre. The first thing we are drawn to is the large open spaces, we are looking out across the plain, deserted area, in the background there are large mountains, these are surrounded by low lying clouds. The camera then sweeps across; this is when we see more of the area. We become aware of a stag in the water surrounded by bushes. We get a glimpse of small boy who is almost completely hidden by bushes. He is holding a rifle and aiming for the stag. He spots a man on horse back in the distance and looks startled. The music turns from joyful to loud and deep this creates a sense of anticipation and this is what the producer aims to achieve when he accompanies a film by different moods of music. We are already asking questions, who is the man on the horse? , Who is the boy? It then cuts to a man chopping wood with an axe we can hear a woman singing and catch a glimpse of her. She has blonde hair and a soft singing voice; she's wearing a white shirt this makes her look pure and untouched. She is in the kitchen preparing a meal for her husband in generic realism we would expect to find a woman in the kitchen and doing the housework while her husband goes out to work. The man on horseback who we become aware is Shane is wearing a cowboy hat, cream top and beige trousers with brown tassels hanging from them. He is on horseback and around his waist is a belt with miniature horse cartwheels on. The music becomes more mysterious and the scene that follows is full of anticipation as Shane and Joe exchange a few words. Shane produces a gun and the music hits it's highest point as the problem is resolved the gun is put away and a lighter friendlier music appears. So far we have the stereotypical family: a small boy, a mum in the kitchen preparing food for her family and a dad chopping wood for his family. Then there's Shane who fills our ideology. He comes in to disturb this peaceful family but turns out not to be a threat. So what are we missing? The villains. These come in the form of the Ryker brothers. The Rykers and their posse of gun-toting ruffians ride by and threaten to run Starrett off his farm. The Rykers, are ruthless businessmen, and have been trying to rid the valley of homesteaders so they can expand their ranch. After witnessing this brutality, Shane decides to stay on and help out at the ranch. Provoked by Ryker's boys, Shane joins the homesteader's fight, facing off with a hired gunslinger to make the valley safe for civilized folks like the Starretts. While helping Shane falls in love with the wife but he keeps his distance out of respect for the husband. This brings me to Bram Stoker's Dracula. This is a film, which is true to the original text rather than the hammer house style; the belief in Christianity is under question and the film is centred on Dracula's relationship with life and after life. A narrator introduces Dracula this strange and mysterious figure employs us to sympathise with him. We see him as a person whose anguish has affected his bond with eternity. Dracula represents an apparition of what may happen to us if we happened to be in the same situation as him. In the opening scene the background is drenched in red and we see the battle of two opposing forces, good and evil. There are close shots of the building and the red skies in the heavens above gives it a threatening look. The titles do not appear until after the opening sequence, this is because Coppola wants to give the responsibility to the audience as to why they believe Dracula is a horror villain rather then a monster. The music is slow and deep in tone to create atmosphere and suspense; it changes in volume when people begin to talk. There is never silence, the constant tapping in the background is almost like screaming. When we finally meet Dracula he is covered in orange armour, the rigid lines on his armour flow horizontally and give him a look of strength. He has long brown hair and a large moustache. He looks angry and screams before he drinks the blood from the goblet. Elizabetta couldn't be more different, she also has brown hair but is wearing a long flowing dress, her pale white skin against the red of the blood is a strong contrast, she looks innocent. The gold surrounding them gives the place a look of importance, which can also be reflected into the clothing. The story continues with Dracula believing he is an agent of god: â€Å"Praise god I am victorious† As things progress his wife receives a false message of his death this results in her taking her own life. On hearing about this Dracula is grief stricken; he turns against god because she is in hell and stabs the cross, blood fills the room and Dracula drinks the blood in a parody of holy communion. This opening scene addresses the audience's knowledge of the use of conventions. Coppola knows that the audience will have encountered Dracula in many other forms before and plays on this. The story is told from Dracula's point of view. Similar to Shane there are Binary opposites and the themes of the genre are noticeable through mise-en-scene and iconography. There are candles and crucifixes, tall windows and dark colours. Again the audience are asking questions even though they will have had some knowledge of Dracula before. In conclusion we now know that the purpose of an opening sequence is to allow the audience to establish the genre and set the foundations for the remainder of the film. We know that to do this you can use generic texts; this will allow the audience to predict what is likely to happen, although this may seem boring it actually does have some advantages it allows the audience to feel comfortable with the following events that will take place. I have found that generic texts are easier to watch because of this. The opening of both texts were slightly different, in Dracula the titles were not shown until the end of the opening sequence I found this more exciting because it gives the audience more of a chance to question what is going on. They were very similar in the ways they established themselves as generic texts though. They used similar techniques but fitted it to a different genre. Both films were enjoyable to watch because they followed a plan and had binary opposition.

The Secret of Finding Meaning in Life

The Secret of Finding Meaning in Life Life is truly too short, this phrase really bothered me because it made me think of how I could make my life meaningful and with sense; something that is living life to the fullest and touching the life of others by serving them because in serving you will know what really life is Just like Jesus who came to earth not to be serve but to serve. But how we could make our life living with significance and meaning?This question is so stunning especially when we realized that we are at the wrong path since we are living here on earth. Is there such thing as secret of finding meaning in life? That might some what answers me base on certain articles that I Just read and as well as the video that amazed me while viewing. This first article defines life and it's meaning which is â€Å"Meaning in Life [live the life that you want]† by Albert S. Wang, written on November 19, 1997.This article, questions you if you are really contented and happy of wh at you have and if this is really the life that you wanted. It is said in here that to be able to live a life that you want and to put a meaning on it; you must first know yourself from within because this makes you know of who you are, second is know where you want o go for it gives you direction in finding your happiness. These things are beginning of having a meaningful life.To find the meaning of your life, you must find it with action not Just by waiting for it to come and you can also find this meaning in life not just in distant place but mostly it is found near you. Putting a meaning in your life is all about the choices and decisions that you made on where you want to go. Just live your will and you'll see that each day you will grow in having a meaningful life. The second article that touches me is entitled â€Å"So What Will Matter? † sent by Leandro G. Cruz and shared by Joe Gatuslao of Bacolod City, Philippines. Its original title is A Life That Matters.This arti cle is so inspiring because it stresses that all that you have got starting from yourself Just like beauty, fame, wealth and all other things that you have are Just in vain because these things are not forever yours, these are just passing things and you cannot bring these things when you leave earth but what really matters are the thing that you made that others will remember you of your goodness, the things that you gave not Just in material aspects but in all, living your ife with significance, teaching others and set yourself as an example to them.All of these things are living a life that matters. This third article has an unknown author which entitles â€Å"A Purpose†. The article speaks that all of us who are created by God has a unique and significant purpose. Each of us is given a chance to find our designated purposes but you must wait when the right time comes because nas set it tor you at a time when you are equipped and ready. Most of the time you'll experience t he roughness of life but don't be dismayed because there is always a helping hand that will take care of you, which isGod who never leaves you. Just stay at the right path and do good deeds for in the end you will find your own way to the pearly white gate. The next article is the one that I liked most which is â€Å"The Journey of Our Life† shared again by Joe Gatuslao from Bacolod City, Philippines. This article actually tells a story about the Emperor who owned a huge land and he told his horseman that if he could ride on his horse and cover as much land area as he likes, then the Emperor would give him the area of land he has covered.The horseman did not stop riding and whipping the horse because he wanted to cover as much area as possible. Came to a point when he had covered a substantial area and he was exhausted and was dying. Then he asked himself, â€Å"Why did I push myself so hard to cover so much land area? Now I am dying and I only need a very small area to bury myself. † This story is really similar with the Journey of our life because most of us are always striving for richness, properties, possessions, power etc.So we work harder and harder until we come to realized that all of these things are not necessary for living a happy and meaningful life; we must balance our way of living so that we could not missed omething in life that might happen once. The next thing that I am going to share is all about the video clip that I watched; it's about an old woman at the age of 47 and her name is Susan Boyle who joined in a certain show that searches for extraordinary talents namely Britain's Got Talent.During her performance, a big shock was made by Susan because at the beginning when she first introduced herself, everybody was against her like they are judging Susan of Joining the show where she looks like so ordinary and nothing to show up but when she start on singing all where stunned by her angelic voice and hey gave her a standing ov ation but most importantly the three big yes from the strict Juries. This gives us an insight that we must not Judge the person's appearance because you'll never know what's the biggest surprise that comes from within.God created us with equal gifts and we must use this as an inspiration to others. This last article is a prayer entitled as â€Å"Mere Possessions†. It's all about the prayer of a woman who asked a help from the Lord, asking that she might not put much stock in possessions because things don't last and you cannot bring all of these things when you leave earth. That we come into the world with nothing, we leave with nothing.Having a meaningful life is about your choices and decisions that were made; Just make sure you have chosen the right path because if you do then you'll end walking along the pearly white gate and that is the fulfillment of having a meaningful life. There is really no such thing as a secret of finding a meaning in life; it's Just you who will make it meaningful by doing what is right and Just; live happy and be happy all the time because life is Just too short, you might missed something so let's make the most of it.

3 Examples of How Semicolons Strengthen a Sentence

3 Examples of How Semicolons Strengthen a Sentence 3 Examples of How Semicolons Strengthen a Sentence 3 Examples of How Semicolons Strengthen a Sentence By Mark Nichol Semicolons help clarify construction of sentences. Using the punctuation mark, employed as either a comma on steroids or a strategically flexible period, is usually just one of two or more possible solutions, but though it has a stuffy reputation and many writers are confused about its applications, it often is the best choice. 1. This issue is not cut and dried, it’s actually fairly complicated. This sentence demonstrates the simplest and perhaps most common error related to the role of the semicolon: the failure to use it when when needed in the weak-period function. This pair of independent clauses must be separated by a semicolon: â€Å"This issue is not cut and dried; it’s actually fairly complicated.† Replacing the comma with a dash or beginning a new sentence with it’s are alternative strategies, though the statement does not include a sharp break in thought (which a dash is intended to signal) and does not constitute two distinct ideas meriting separate sentences, so the semicolon is the most suitable solution. 2. For breakfast, he had eggs the way he liked them, over easy, bacon, locally raised, of course, toast, and coffee, which he always stirred exactly 10 times to blend in the milk. This sentence requires semicolons to clearly organize a rambling list of words and phrases that constitute a menu: â€Å"For breakfast, he had eggs the way he liked them, over easy; bacon, locally raised, of course; toast; and coffee, which he always stirred exactly 10 times to blend in the milk.† However, the preparation details can also be presented enclosed in parentheses, which renders semicolons unnecessary: â€Å"For breakfast, he had eggs the way he liked them (over easy), bacon (locally raised, of course), toast, and coffee (which he always stirred exactly 10 times to blend in the milk).† For consistency and to enhance sentence balance and rhythm, better yet, a corresponding detail about the toast should be inserted. 3. The act offers protection from lawsuits arising from monitoring information systems, including employee email, cyberthreat-related disclosures, and sharing of that information with other companies. This sentence requires semicolons because even though â€Å"including employee email† seems obviously related to the preceding phrase, the sentence can also be read as if employee email, cyberthreats-related disclosures, and sharing of that information with other companies are being offered as examples of information systems. Use the stronger punctuation mark in such sentences so that the sentence organization is unambiguous: â€Å"The act offers protection from lawsuits arising from monitoring information systems, including employee email; cyberthreat-related disclosures; and sharing of that information with other companies.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Punctuation category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:How to Structure A Story: The Eight-Point Arc5 Brainstorming Strategies for Writers5 Tips to Understand Hyphenated Words

3 Grammatical Errors and Funnies from DollarsandSense Coupon Flyer!

3 Grammatical Errors and Funnies from DollarsandSense Coupon Flyer! Magazines and flyers are constant sources of grammatical errors and other interesting blog material for The Essay Expert.   This week Im writing just a few examples of what I found in the ads populating a recent Madisons DollarsandSense coupon flyer.   These examples are good reminders to pay attention to your writing! 1.   Ad for ChoreCare (www.ChoreCareMadison.com) Original text:   All jobs work is customized to meet your needs. Commentary:   Jobs work are two things and the verb should therefore be plural. Correction:   All jobs work are customized to meet your needs. This error is very common and I find myself making it more often than I’d like to admit.   A few days ago, I wrote, regarding the improvement to one of my client’s resumes:   The other bullets show his success on both the artistic and strategic side of marketing. I quickly caught my error and changed â€Å"side† to â€Å"sides,† since I was talking about two sides – plural! What makes this one slippery is that in speech, we often do not distinguish between the singular and plural in situations such as the ones above.   I see this as another example of purist vs. progressive language (see Top 10 Obsolete Grammar Rules – by Steven Sawyer). Whether you are a purist or a progressive on this one, I encourage you to pay attention and make a choice, rather than make a blind potential error.   Please share if you find yourself challenged by this issue! 2.   Ad for Mother Natures Diaper Service, Inc. Original text:   Reserve a Pre-birth Delivery Date Today! (click for full size ad) Commentary:   Is this line an intentional joke?   It seems the writers might be unaware that they have made a pun on Delivery Date. How can there be a pre-birth delivery [of a baby]?   OH†¦Ã‚   a *diaper* delivery.   I get it. Is it just me, or does pre-birth remind you of afterbirth (the placenta and fetal membranes that are normally expelled from the uterus after the birth of the baby) now thats something I dont want delivered to my door!   I just dont like the phrase â€Å"Pre-birth Delivery† at all, even if it was intended to be clever, which I’m not convinced it was. My suggested correction:   Reserve a Diaper Delivery Date Today! Now thats cute, and it plays well on the word Delivery without being downright perplexing. 3.   Ad for Sierra Concepts, LLC Basement Waterproofing Specialists Original text:   $50 OFF Crack Injections Commentary:   I realize crack injection is a trade term, but really!   Am I the only one who immediately calls up an image of desolate streets and needles and crazed looking drug addicts? My suggested correction:   $50 OFF Basement Crack Repair. Boring, maybe.   But it gets the point across safely. What are your favorite examples of incorrect or funny ads?   Please share them here!

Branches of the Tree of Knowledge

Branches of the Tree of Knowledge In Frankenstein, Mary Shelley warns that with the advent of science, natural philosophical questioning is not only futile, but dangerous. In attempting to discover the mysteries of life, Frankenstein assumes that he can act as God. He disrupts the natural order, and chaos ensues. Mary Shelley goes to great lengths to emphasize the beauty and order of life when man engages in à ¬naturalà ® pursuits. She idealizes Frankensteins home life: à ¬I feel exquisite pleasure in dwelling on the recollections of childhood, before misfortune had tainted my mindà ® (38). His family is orderly and wonderful. Clervals à ¬presence brought back to my thoughts my father, Elizabeth, and all those scenes of home so dear to my recollectionÃâ€"I felt suddenly, and for the first time during many months, calm and serene joyà ® (58). Shelley also stresses that man should feel at one with nature, not at odds with it: à ¬When happy, inanimate nature had the power of bestowing on me the most delightful sensationsà ® (68). Certain occupations allow man to be at one with nature and his fellow creatures. Shelley feels that science should be useful and beneficial to mankind. Clerval, a clearly pure and benevolent character, studies languages. He loves poetry. These disciplines allow man to help others and glorify nature without questioning it. In childhood, Frankensteins studies contained à ¬bright visions of usefulnessà ® (38): à ¬I betook myself to the mathematics, and the branches of study appertaining to that science, as being built upon secure foundations, and so worthy of considerationà ® (41). But Frankensteins interests soon turned away from mathematics; he speaks of his change of mind as if an evil spirit had taken control of his brain. He begins to thirst after higher knowledge, hoping to discover the deepest mysteries of nature: à ¬I had gazed upon the fortifications and impediments that seemed to keep human beings from entering the citadel of nature, and rashly and ignorantly I had repinedà ® (39). Frankenstein delves into these studies, hoping to à ¬unfold to the world the deepest mysteries of creationà ® (47). à ¬Life and death appeared to me ideal bounds, which I should first break through, and pour a torrent of light into our dark worldà ® (52) Frankenstein succeeds in discovering the secrets of life and death, and becomes able to bestow à ¬animation upon lifeless matterà ® (51). While Frankenstein is involved in this pursuit, Shelley portrays his life as grotesque and unnatural in comparison to his childhoodà ³he abandons everything that clearly made his life natural and good: à ¬The dissecting room and the slaughter-house furnished many of my materials; and often did my human nature turn with loathing from my occupationà ® (53). Frankenstein cuts off contact with his family, and no longer appreciates the glory of nature. He confines himself to a roomà ³his occupation is unnatural: à ¬Who shall conceive the horrors of my secret toil as I dabbled among the unhallowed damps of the graveÃâ€"and disturbed, with profane fingers, the tremendous secrets of the human frameà ® (53). With these descriptions, Shelley tells the reader that Frankenstein treads on forbidden groundà ³he does not discover secrets, but à ¬disturbsà ® them. When Frankensteins completes his creation, he finally realizes the horror of what he has done. He sees immediately that his aspiration to make à ¬a new species [that] would bless me as its creator and sourceà ® was far from realized. Instead, à ¬the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled [his] heartà ® (56). His actions, performed in isolation, did nothing to better human kind, being so far removed from human nature. He realizes the full horror of what he has done in his dream, which foreshadows the chaos and destruction that is to come. He sees how horrid it is to meddle in superhuman affairs and attempt to alter natural processes. In his dream, he sees his beloved Elizabeth, and kisses her. But to his horror, she turns into his dead mother, à ¬a shroud enveloped her form, and I saw the grave-worms crawling in the folds of flannelà ® (57). With this image, Shelley illustrates the evil of man trying to venture into the domain of God. Frankenstein succeeds in creating life, but this creation results in nothing but death and destruction. He profanes his mothers death, and turns a vibrant life into decaying nothingness. His attempts to change lifes natural boundaries can only lead to chaos. As a mortal, he cannot do what God does. He can create life, but he cannot create order. Man stepping out of his natural place can only cause disorder. Shelley further portrays Frankenstein as a perverted God through references to Adam and Eve. The monster laments having been created by such an imperfect God. He says, à ¬How dare you sport thus with lifeÃâ€" I ought to be thy Adamà ® (97). Frankenstein, however, is no God. The monster eventually realizes this, and reproaches Frankenstein: Like Adam, I was apparently united by no link to any other being in existence; but his state was far different from mine in every other respect. He had come forth from the hands of God a perfect creature, happy and prosperous, guarded by the especial care of his Creator; he was allowed to converse with and acquire knowledge from beings of a superior nature: but I was wretched, helpless, and alone (126). Frankenstein is no better than his monster, being ruled by the same human passions. He is not a superior being, and cannot support creation of a new species. The humility that Frankenstein should have before his own creator is demonstrated through Shelleys powerful descriptions of nature. Frankenstein feels small against the à ¬dashing of the waterfalls around, [which] spoke of a power mighty as Omnipotenceà ® (91). He can never really penetrate these secretsà ³Ãƒ ¬the pine woods, and ragged bare ravine, the eagle, soaring amidst the cloudsà ³they all gathered round me and bade me be at peaceà ® (93). He also notices the perfection with which his creator formed the humans, and marvels at Clervals qualities, à ¬Has his mind, so replete with ideasÃâ€"whose existence depended on the life of its creatorà ³has this mind perishedÃâ€"No, it is not thus; your form so divinely wroughtÃâ€"has decayed, but your spirit still visits and consoles your unhappy friend.à ® With this statem ent, Frankenstein realizes that life and death are not really the à ¬ideal boundaries.à ® There is so much more to life and death than humans can possibly conceive. Biology is not necessarily the answer to the secrets of life and death. Thus, humans should live within their bounds, and not struggle with forces that are beyond their grasp. Frankenstein regrets his foray into natural philosophy. He wishes for à ¬the light-hearted gaiety of boyhoodà ® (92), when man did not seek to know these secrets. He laments: Alas! Why does man boast of sensibilities superior to those apparent in the brute; it only renders them more necessary beings. If our impulses were confined to hunger, thirst, and desire we might be nearly free (94). Shelley equates mans grappling with higher questions with Adam eating from the tree of knowledge. Frankenstein wanted to stop the destruction, à ¬but the apple was already eatenà ® (183). But mans knowledge is never as perfect as Gods knowledge. His presumption to know the secrets of life made him à ¬like the archangel who aspired to omnipotencechained in an eternal hellà ® (204). Frankenstein finally realizes this. He never should have presumed to create life, because the creation of life is more than the physical actà ³the order and harmony of the world can only be produced by a perfect creature. Frankenstein cries: à ¬ManÃâ€"how ignorant art thou in thy pride of wisdom! Cease; you know not what it is you sayà ® (194)! Frankenstein has finally learned his lesson. Or has he? After his excruciating pains and hardship, Frankensteins dying words are: à ¬I have myself been blasted in these hopes, yet another may succeedà ® (210). Unless Frankenstein is referring to beneficial, pragmatic scientific knowledge, then he has not yet acknowledged that man cannot know the secrets of nature. Shelley means his final words to be a warning to the reader. Mans growing ambition and intellect will render him desperate to discover the deepest mysteries of lifeà ³it is a difficult task to halt this ambition. But this ambition is greater than mans intellect. He can never know all, though he aspires to heaven. Until he realizes his limitations, the spread of science can only lead to chaos and destruction.

Systems And Operations Management At Atokowa Essay

Systems And Operations Management At Atokowa - Essay Example Each organization has certain business objectives which are pursued through the operations of the organization. The success of an organization depends upon the efficiency of its decision making process and the execution of its operations. The systems and operations management in the organization helps the organization in achieving its objectives (Kolli 2000). The information system of the organization helps the organization collect and manage the information that is required for effective decision making and the operations management of the organization helps the organization conduct its operations in an effective and efficient manner (Slack & Johnston 2004). If the operations of an organization are performed effectively and efficiently, the organization would acquire its business objectives more easily. In order to make the operations of an organization efficient, the organization shall give high importance to the operations management (Greasley, 1999). ... There are numerous retail outlets being run by the company. The company also offers a facility to deliver stationery and office supplier directly to the organizations. The company also offers customized printing for organizations. The business of the company was initially established as photocopying business which later extended towards printing. The company prints; brochures, flyers, letterheads, business cards, compliments slips, memo slips, fax headers and NCR pads. The products by Atokowa are marketed to two distinct types of customers; the individual customers and the business customers. The retail outlets by the company offer products to both the individual customers and the businesses at the same time. The businesses make a significant proportion of the overall customer base of the organization. SYSTEMS AND OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT AT ATOKOWA From the study done on Atokowa, it can be inferred that the current systems management of the company does not provide sufficient and accur ate information regarding the type of market that generates most revenue. In order to make effective decisions, it is highly important for any organization to have complete and accurate information regarding its operations. The operations being conducted at Atokowa are also very complex. Invoices are generated after a complex formal procedure and the discounts are offered after significantly extensive paper work. In order to make the operations management at Atokowa more effective and efficient, the company may need to modify its existing information system that is called ASIS. The information system is outdated and with the introduction of new technology, the company may need to apply new information system in its organizational structure.